The Love Life of Victor Frankenstein
by VioletRose13
Summary: Victor Frankenstein was always pretty shy and a bit of an introvert, even before the events of Dutch Day and Sparky's accident. But then, Victor finds comfort and joy in the only person in New Holland he can truly call a friend, Elsa Van Helsing. This is the story of how their friendship grew into something more.
1. Waking Up

"Victor? Honey, it's time to wake up." A familiar voice said sweetly.

Victor Frankenstein groaned, clearly wanting to sleep some more. He turned over on his side, his hand hanging over the side of the bed. His eyes begrudgingly opened when he felt that same hand being licked. He knew that tongue all too well.

"Victor, wake up. Sparky's been waiting for you all morning." Susan Frankenstein told her son.

Victor groaned again and stretched out his back, annoyed at his disturbed sleep. He opened his eyes and saw his mom standing over him with a smile on her face. Victor's loyal dog, Sparky, barked and hopped onto the bed right beside his best friend. Victor smiled and patted the terrier's head affectionately.

"Morning, boy. Morning, mom." He said.

"It's almost eleven, dear. I don't think I could let you sleep longer." Susan said.

"Eleven? Really?" Victor asked before looking over at the clock above his dresser.

He squinted at the numbers then looked back at him mom and uttered, "Oh… What day is it again?"

"Saturday. If you get up now, I'll make you a late breakfast." Susan kissed her son's forehead and got up off her son's bed. "What'll it be? French toast or waffles today?"

"Waffles, please."

"Coming right up. You should get dressed while waiting."

When Susan exited the room to make her son breakfast, Victor sat up slowly stretching his back and arms and curling his toes, giving one final yawn. Sparky sat up eagerly, barking at Victor as he jumped around on the bed.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Victor told the bull terrier before Sparky hopped off the bed. "Take it easy, boy. Let me get dressed first."


	2. The Girl Next Door

After breakfast, Victor went out to the backyard with Sparky. He was throwing a baseball around for the terrier to playfully chase and catch, but Victor couldn't help but feel a little solemn. Ever since his first day on the baseball team and Sparky's death, he didn't know what to think of the sport anymore. But here he was, throwing the ball around and letting his beloved dog happily catch it like nothing has changed. He still couldn't deny that this was his dog's favorite game since he was a puppy. If Sparky is able to even request playing fetch after the events that have just occurred, then Victor can comply.

The sound of a door opening and closing could be heard close by and Sparky looked towards the small gap in the fence. He barked enthusiastically and ran towards the gate, wagging his tail in an excited manner; Victor stood up and followed his dog to the gate. The terrier put his face up to the hole as he continued wagging his tail, high-pitched barking came from the other side of the fence. Victor smiled and walked up to the fence; he reached up, grasped the top of the fence, and pulled himself over to see over the gate. He looked down and saw Elsa's black poodle Persephone sniffing at Sparky's head peeking through the fence; she barked happily at the terrier's presence.

Victor looked up at Mayor Bergermeister's backyard and smirked; of course, the Mayor would have beautiful green, clean-cut grass with unscathed flowers and shrubs all around. Victor glanced over to his right and was surprised to find Elsa Van Helsing standing by the back door staring at Victor. Surprised, he let go of the fence and fell backward.

"Whoa! Oof!" He cried as he landed on his backside, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Victor?"

He could hear her voice of concern and footsteps through the grass.

"Victor, are you okay?" Elsa put her hands on the fence and looked over to find Victor.

She saw Victor stand up quickly and pat the back of his pants with his hands.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, yeah! I-I'm fine." He laughed nervously.

"Are you sure?" She asked concerned. Victor walked over to the fence and pulled himself up and looked at Elsa peeking over.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Why?" Victor asked quickly, clearly embarrassed.

"Because I heard your voice, followed by a thud. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, well… I'm fine."

"Good… Why were you peeking over the fence anyway?" She asked.

"Oh-I uh-well Sparky, he uh-he was just looking through the hole in the fence and I wanted to see what he was…" Victor looked into Elsa's eyes and trailed off. "…looking at…"

Elsa looked over at Persephone sitting in front of Sparky, their noses touching; she smiled softly and tilted her head. Victor had saved Persephone and saved herself that Friday night… and she never officially thanked him for it. Elsa turned back at Victor suddenly; he pulled his head back at her sudden action, startled again.

"Whoa!" Victor exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry." Elsa said.

"No, it's okay." Victor replied, calming down.

"Victor? You know… I never got to thank you and Sparky." Elsa blushed, looking away and back at Victor.

"For what?" He wasn't focusing, increasing Elsa's embarrassment.

"For saving me and Persephone from that mutant rat _and_ that vampire-cat thing… _and_ from plummeting to our death off of a burning windmill on Dutch Day."

"Oh that…" Victor blushed. "You were in trouble and I was worried…"

Victor stopped mid-sentence, "It was nothing."

He looked down, a blush forming on his cheeks.

"You saved our lives that night, TWICE. That was very brave of you, Victor." Elsa cooed.

"I-I didn't want you to get hurt." Victor smiled bashfully.

"Thank you." Elsa said softly.

The two of them looked at the other with interest for what felt like forever but was only a few seconds. Victor's arms began to shake under his weight and suddenly he fell back onto his feet. He saw Elsa pull away from his view.

"Um… Elsa?" Victor called her name and pulled himself up over the fence once again.

"Yeah?" She turned and looked up at him.

"I was wondering… I mean if you'd like to, would you… like to walk to school with me on Monday?" He asked nervously, ignoring the shakiness in his arms. Elsa's eyes widened before she smiled back at Victor, shyly rubbing her forearm.

"…Yeah, I'd like that." She replied.

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Great! I-I mean… cool."

Victor smiled and fell back again and landed on the grass once again. Sparky pulled his head out of the fence and turned to look at his master. He barked and ran up to him. Victor sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head. Sparky ran up to him and began licking his face.

"You okay?" Elsa called out once again.

Victor faked a smile as the girl peeked over the fence.

"Yeah." He groaned, still rubbing his head. "Just fine."

Elsa chuckled and pulled away. "I'll see you later."

"See ya…"

Sparky looked over at the whole in the fence and watched Persephone disappear from his sight before looking back at Victor and licking his face once again. However, Victor was undeterred by his dog's actions; he just kept looking at the fence in a daze.

"Just fine…" He said to himself.


	3. Walking to School

The weekend seemed to fly by and Monday had come faster than you can say 'take a note'. Today is the first day back to school since the Dutch Day disaster last Friday night. Mr. Rzykruski wouldn't be teaching the class anymore so the class will be forced to listen to the gym teacher teach a class she obviously has no interest in, or at least until the original teacher returns, but no one knows when that will be. But maybe today won't be so bad, Victor figured, he was going to walk to school with Elsa today.

Victor smiled to himself at the thought before standing up from his seat at the table. Victor grabbed his plate and put it into the sink for his mom to wash. Victor walked down the hallway and turned into his room to grab his school bag then walked back into the kitchen, swinging the strap over his shoulder. Sparky rushed to his owner's feet and began to jump around him.

"Bye Mom, I'm off the school." Victor announced as he bent down to pet his dog.

"You're leaving already?" She asked as she reached for the dishes in the sink. "It's not even 7:30."

"I know. I'm walking to school with Elsa today." Victor told her, avoiding contact with his parents and focusing on his dog. Susan and Edward exchanged prideful glances.

"Really?! That's great, son!" Edward called out, turning around to face his son.

"She's such a pretty girl and seems very sweet." Susan added.

Victor blushed and said nothing.

"Is this going to be an everyday thing?" Edward asked his son, putting down the newspaper he was reading and looking at his son who was petting Sparky. Victor looked up at his dad briefly.

"I don't know." He mumbled, bashfully shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you like her?" His mother asked. Victor got embarrassed rather quickly.

"Yeah, she's nice." Victor continued to mumble.

"I think you should hang out with her more. You know, there comes a time when a young man such as yourself becomes more interested in girls—"

"Dad!" Victor shouted as his face turned bright red.

"You should invite her over for dinner sometime, sweetie." Susan chimed.

"Mom, stop!" Victor yelled at his mother, covering his eyes in embarrassment.

"You picked a good girl, son. Now is the time to reel her in." Edward told his son, reeling the handle on the invisible fishing pole.

"Okay! That's it, I'm outta here!" Victor called, raising his hand over his head in exasperation before he stomped to the front door. Sparky barked a goodbye to Victor.

"Have a good day at school, Victor!" His mother shouted. The door slammed shut and Susan looked over at her husband.

"Well… at least he's making friends." She smiled.

"And a girlfriend, too." Edward smiled and pulled the newspaper back in front of his face.

Susan smiled and shook her head playfully.

Victor huffed and puffed as he walked briskly to his neighbor's house. He stood at the front door and rang the door bell, still fuming from embarrassment. Victor's eyes popped open when the door opened to reveal Mayor Bergermeister. Victor suddenly became timid, surely Victor was the last person the Mayor wanted to see right now.

"Good morning, Mr. Bergermeister." Victor smiled nervously. "Is um, is uh… is Elsa still here?"

The Mayor glared down at the boy through his thick glasses. The silence grew thick and unpleasant, so thick you can almost cut it with a knife; Victor looked away, trying to escape the gaze of his rather nasty neighbor. Suddenly the Mayor leaned down the eleven year old boy's level. Victor pulled his head down and looked up at the frightening man with wide eyes.

"You may have saved my niece and that dog of hers, but that's no excuse for ruining the most important day of my career." He scolded.

"Sir, I didn't mean for—"

"Uncle Bob!" Elsa called out with her soulful voice. "Leave him alone."

Elsa pushed between the doorframe and her uncle to get outside.

"His deceased dog terrorized the town with a band of undead mutant creatures and ruined Dutch Day!" He pointed a finger at Victor.

"Would you just get over it already?! Victor saved me and Persephone that night." She stood in front of Victor to defend him from her uncle, who Victor was obviously intimidated by. "Or is that not important?"

The Mayor inhaled deeply and puffed the air out his nose, pulling his hands onto his hips. He shouldn't stay mad at the boy; he had saved his niece from falling to her death off the windmill he accidently set on fire.

"Where is that dog?" He demanded.

Elsa sighed; she knew that there was no compromising or negotiating with her uncle about Persephone. He clearly hated her dog… or any animal for that matter.

"She's in my room." Elsa sighed.

"Good." The Mayor exclaimed. Elsa looked over at Victor, she noticed his discomfort.

"We need to get to school." Elsa said to her uncle.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get going. I'll see you later." He demanded, pulling back inside and closing the door in their faces.

There was a short pause. Elsa sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes before turning around and walking down the lawn to the sidewalk. Victor looked between the shut door and back at Elsa, he ran to catch up with her down the sidewalk.

"Hey, Elsa!" He called as he walked up beside her. "Why is your dog locked up in your room?"

The two walked at the same pace. Elsa sighed once again in frustration. "My uncle has never really been fond of animals. He doesn't want Persephone to ruin his precious flowers. She doesn't even go near them."

"Geez, that's awful." Victor said sadly.

"I know, I hate having to leave her in there while I'm at school." Elsa looked over at Victor; he did seem to sympathize with her. "Besides, whenever she's outside she's always trying to flirt with Sparky through the fence."

Elsa looked at Victor and smiled softly, anticipating his reaction. Victor laughed briefly at the romance between their dogs.

"Hey! Why don't you take Persephone over to my house while we're at school?" Victor asked her.

"What? Oh, Victor, I don't know. Wouldn't your parents get irritated with two dogs running around the house?" Elsa asked.

"Of course not! They wouldn't bother either of them." Victor reasoned. "Persephone wouldn't be confined to one room and I'm sure she'd love to play with Sparky all day. I'm sure he gets bored while I'm at school too."

"Well… as long as it's okay with your parents." Elsa smiled. "But… maybe you shouldn't come over to my house anymore."

"What?" Victor asked, slightly taken back by her comment.

"I don't want you to have to worry about my uncle anymore. I'll bring Persephone over and then we can walk to school, okay?" Elsa asked nervously.

"Oh. Okay…" Victor thought back to his embarrassing morning with his mom and dad. "But you'd have to deal with my parents."

"Come on, they can't be that bad. They seem so nice."

"No, they are nice and very supportive but they can be a little… embarrassing."

"What parents aren't?" Elsa asked. "My parents embarrass me all the time."

Silence fell onto the couple as they continued to walk, now halfway to their destination. Elsa hadn't always lived next door, Victor thought.

"Where are your parents? If you don't mind me asking. I mean, you haven't always lived next door to me."

Victor felt like he was imposing on Elsa's personal space and problems. When she didn't respond he began to panic.

"You don't have to tell me." He said quickly.

"No, it's fine. I just miss them, that's all. They had to go meet some Count or Duke or whatever in Romania. They said they'd be home for Thanksgiving. I hope they will be." Elsa sighed. "They're normally never gone _this_ long."

"Oh." Victor looked away. "What do they do?"

"They're philosophers. We briefly lived up in Romania and the Netherlands and my parents still get a lot of work over there, so we travel back and forth between here and there. They won't let me go with them unless it's during the summer. "Your education is more important that traveling" they'd always tell me."

"I guess that would make sense. I mean, I haven't been anywhere outside of New Holland, but I'd rather finish school before going off to see the world."

"Where are your parents from? Frankenstein is a pretty interesting name." Elsa asked.

"And Van Helsing isn't?" Victor inquired.

"Well, my ancestry is Dutch, that's why _I_ was the Little Dutch Girl at the Dutch Day Festival on Friday."

"Well… to be honest, I'm not too sure about _my_ ancestry. I have some relatives in Italy but I think we're Genovese. It's funny, my dad used to tell me about his great uncle Fredrick Frankenstein and how he was ashamed of our family history for some bizarre, so he called himself Fredrick Fronk-en-steen instead." Victor laughed.

"What were they ashamed of?" Elsa asked.

"That's just it, I don't know. There must've been a _lot_ of crazy people in my family, I guess." Victor shrugged.

Victor and Elsa arrived at school with ten minutes to spare before class started. They went into class, dreading having to learn science from the loud, clueless gym teacher, Coach Barnes.


	4. Before Class

Victor sat at his desk in class, the last one in the front row. Normally he loved sitting in the front of the class but lately, Victor felt like it was the worst place to sit. Gym had never been Victor's strong suit and neither did he think he was athletically inclined. Elsa sat in her usual seat across from Victor; she set her bag down and pulled out her school book and pencil case, setting them neatly on her desk. Victor pulled out his school binder and opened it. Staring back at him was the picture that spawned the idea that fateful day in science class, the picture that Victor drew out of his grieving for his dog. Victor smiled down at the doodle before turning it to a new blank page. Victor looked up from his desk.

"Hey, Victor!"

Victor jumped back in his seat in surprise.

"Edgar, what are you doing!?" Victor shouted angrily at his strange classmate.

Edgar slammed his hands on Victor's desk and leaned over the desktop, Victor pulled back in his seat as far as he could.

"Victor, you did it, you did it!" Edgar cheered.

"…What? Edgar, I don't know what you're talking about." Victor said under his breath.

"I think you _do_ know!" Edgar leaned in. Victor turned his head and looked at Edgar from the corner of his eye.

"No…" Victor mumbled.

Why is it still crazy, it's already been three days since the incident, will this ever end?

"You saved New Holland! Those sea monkeys, that goliath turtle, the mutant rat, and that vampire cat!" Edgar shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "You saved _everybody_!"

Light, slow footsteps could be heard and Victor and Edgar turned their attention to the girl walking towards them, not a lot of people knew her name specifically and no one cared to know the girl with those big staring eyes. The girl looked down at Victor with her unwavering gaze.

"Mr. Whiskers didn't return home Friday night…" She looked from Edgar's awkward expression to Victor's guilt ridden face. "Victor… you saw him last… where did he head off to…?"

Victor looked at the weird girl and felt a sudden wave of guilt through his abdomen.

What had happened to her freaky vampire cat? He abducted Elsa and Victor chased off after her. He saved Elsa from the bat-cat and then Sparky had saved him from the bat-cat and from the burning windmill. And then… AND THEN THE WINDMILL BURNED DOWN! And that girl's cat…! How was he supposed to tell her that her cat burned to death!?

"Uh- your cat, he… he attacked Elsa and took her to the windmill. The windmill got caught on fire and Mr. Whiskers… I'm sorry…" Victor didn't finish his sentence.

He didn't need to finish, the strange girl stared at him for a moment longer before turning away from him and walking back to her desk where she sat politely and didn't say a word, staring at nothing in particular. Elsa watched the girl walk to her desk. She turned around to try and talk to the girl, she may be strange but she was nice and an occasional friend.

"I'm sorry about what happened." She whispered.

"It's okay, Elsa; it wasn't your fault." The weird girl softly replied.

This day couldn't get worse, could it? Victor sighed and turned his attention back to Edgar who was still standing in front of his desk. He saw that Edgar was looking at the weird girl with a slightly guilt look on his face… as well as a small blush on his cheeks. Victor smirked. Edgar was suddenly pushed aside, fallen to the floor by the incredibly tall Nassor, he towered over Victor's desk and gazed down at him with menacing eyes.

"Baseball practice is after school today and you are in much need of improvement if we are going to go to the championship this year." He hissed.

Victor found himself scooted down into his chair.

"Actually, guys, I don't know if I—" He started.

"You cannot leave the team now!" Toshiaki walked in on the conversation, followed by his guinea pig of a friend Bob, the boy would do anything his friend would ask of him, which resulted in his broken arm.

"We won our last game because of _you_ and besides, we can't kick you off the team. I already asked." Toshiaki looked around annoyed.

"Oh… okay." Victor sighed in defeat. "If I have no choice…"

"You don't!" Toshiaki yelled and stormed back to his desk.

Bob looked between Toshiaki and Victor, cheerfully saying a good morning to Victor before following Toshiaki to the desk next to his friend.

"Don't be late." Nassor pointed at Victor before heading back to his seat behind Toshiaki in the back of the class. Victor put his head on the desk.

"I'm dead." He whimpered.

Edgar got up from the floor and peeked at Victor above the desk. Victor looked up and noticed Edgar right in front of his face; he jumped back in his seat.

"Will you quit doing that?" Victor said sternly.

"You've got baseball today? Hey! You need someone to practice with, don't you? _I'll_ practice with you!"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I have to practice with the team." Victor smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, but… but you're so _horrible_ at baseball! You'll need practice _outside_ of school!"

"Gee, thanks." Victor rolled his eyes.

"Please, Victor! Please let me practice with you! Please, please, _please_?" Edgar insisted.

The last time Victor let Edgar help him, he ratted on the whole class about bringing the dead back to life and told the students that Sparky was his science project! Victor would never bring Sparky back to life just for science! But then again, Edgar was a little like himself; he didn't have many friends.

"Okay, okay! Fine! If it'll get you off my back, we'll practice after school tomorrow."

"Oh thank you, thank you, Victor! You won't regret this!" Edgar stated before rushing into his seat next to Victor.

'I hope I won't.' Victor thought, putting a hand over his face in exasperation.

"Okay, kids. QUIET, it's time for class." Coach Barnes said in a yell as she entered the room.


	5. Baseball Practice

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class. Victor sighed to himself; this is going to be a long day. He gathered his belongings and got up from his desk and walk over to Elsa's. He stood in front of her desk and she looked up at him.

"I guess I have baseball practice after school today. So I won't be able to walk home with you." Victor said apologetic and annoyed. Elsa grabbed her things and stood up from her desk.

"That's okay, Victor. We can walk to and from school whenever you want. Maybe I'll drop off my stuff, pick up Persephone, and we can all watch you at practice. And we can walk home together after that." She gave him a kind smile.

"Really?" Victor perked up.

"Yeah. Hey, if you want maybe I can pick up Sparky too?" She asked.

"You don't mind?" Victor asked, slightly baffled.

"Of course not. Call your parents and tell them I'm going to pick up your dog and I'll see you at practice." Elsa smiled and walked away.

'Great, now Elsa is gonna watch me _stink_ at baseball.' Victor thought out loud as he walked to the front office of the school.

He opened the glass door and walked up to the receptionist's desk. Victor put his hands up on top of the desk and softly cleared his throat; the lady at the desk turned her head to him.

"How may I help you, dear?" She asked.

"Can I use the phone? I need to call my parents."

"Sure thing, dear." She pointed to the phone on the other side of the desk. "Be sure to press 9 before you dial."

"Thank you." Victor walked over to the other side of the desk and began to dial his house. The phone rang a few times before his mother finally answered.

"Hello?" She answered the phone confused; the school had never called her before. Had Victor gotten in trouble? Or was he in trouble?

"Mom? Hi, I uh… I have to stay after school today. I have baseball practice."

"Oh." His mother sighed. "Is that all? I thought something bad happened."

"Oh, no." Victor chuckled. "I just need to practice if I'm going to get any better and maybe go to the championship…"

"Oh dear, that's wonderful. I'm so proud of you! Making friends _and_ playing sports, I'm sure you'll be wonderful."

"Thanks, mom." Victor blushed. "Um, my friend Elsa is going to watch me practice today—"

"She is?!"

"Yes, she said she would come by and pick up Sparky on her way home and bring him and _her_ dog to the school field. Is that okay?" Victor asked nervous, no one had ever taken care of Sparky other than Victor and his parents.

"That's fine dear, as long as you're sure you can trust her with your dog…?" Susan questioned.

"Of course I can trust her!" Victor said a little too quickly. "She… she has a dog of her own, too. A black poodle, Persephone."

"Oh yes, that's right. Well if _you_ trust her, _I_ trust her too." Victor felt relieved at his mother's acceptance.

"I don't know how long practice is going to be; maybe an hour?"

"Dinner is in two hours, if you're not home by then I'll save some for you in the microwave."

"Okay."

"Alright, you do good out there!"

"Yeah… okay, bye."

"Bye, dear."

Victor hung up the phone and thanked the receptionist once again before walking out the doors and heading to the baseball field.

Elsa arrived at her uncle's house; she quietly opened the door and snuck in. She ran to her room and threw her stuff on the bed, Persephone ran up to her wagging her tail and jumping around her feet. Elsa hushed her dog as she grabbed the leash and clipped it onto her collar. She pulled her dog along with her as she headed back to the front door.

"Going to the baseball field at school, I'll be back for dinner!" Elsa yelled then went out the door before her uncle got a word in edgewise.

Elsa closed the door and made her way over to the Frankenstein household. She rang the doorbell. Sparky's ears perked up at the sound and began to bark at the door.

"I heard, Sparky!" Susan called to the dog as she walked from the kitchen to the front door, with the dog leash in hand. "That must be Elsa."

Sparky ran around in excitement at that name. Susan opened the door to reveal Elsa and her poodle. Sparky ran to Persephone and they sniffed each other.

"Hello, Mrs. Frankenstein." Elsa said politely.

"You must be Elsa Van Helsing." Susan said as she looked at the strange girl.

"Yes, I am. Have you talked to Victor? He said I could pick up Sparky and take him to the baseball field at school."

"Why yes, he did." She smiled. Susan bent down and put the leash around Sparky's neck and handed it to Elsa.

"I trust you'll take good care of Sparky?" Susan asked.

"Of course; Persephone and I enjoy his company." Elsa smiled.

"I expect Sparky to be back with my son immediately after practice."

"Yes, ma'am."

Elsa nodded her head obediently. Susan smiled down at the girl.

"Okay, well be careful on your walk and I hope to see you soon." Mrs. Frankenstein smiled.

"Okay."

With that, Elsa set off down the street hand in hand with Persephone and Sparky.

Victor walked up to the baseball field. The other boys were waiting for him and from here they didn't look too happy, Victor figured. Victor looked over at the benches, Elsa wasn't there yet… but sitting next to Bob was Edgar. He was waving towards Victor. He looked around him as he walked, no one was there. He must be waving at him; Victor tossed his hand up and continued to head to the field. Victor walked to the dugout where he set his school stuff down and the coach tossed him his baseball jersey, advising him to be here on time. Victor buttoned up his shirt and went out onto the field with the other players. Toshiaki and Nassor stood there with their arms crossed and their feet patting the dirt.

"Well, it's about time you showed up." Toshiaki called out to Victor.

"I had to call my mom first." Victor told him as he stood in front of the two bullies.

"Your mom didn't know you had practice today?" Nassor looked at Victor with disbelief.

" _I_ didn't even know I had practice today." Victor shrugged. "Ever since Sparky…" He looked out at the street. "I haven't thought much about baseball since… that day." He looked back at the two boys.

"Fine." Toshiaki said, shaking his head in an annoyed manner. "Just grab a bat and go over there; you need practice more than anybody here."

Victor walked over to the fence and grabbed a bat; he then walked up in front of Nassor at home plate. He nervously looked over at Toshiaki and winded the bat up behind him.

"Come on, you two. Victor is waiting for us." Elsa chuckled as she led the two dogs down the sidewalk towards the school.

Sparky and Persephone happily barked at Elsa as they continued to walk beside her. She glanced over to her left and saw the baseball field before heading over in that direction with the canines in tow. She went over to the bleachers and took a seat with both dogs sitting on either side of her just as Victor was up to bat.

Toshiaki threw the ball, but Victor missed. Nassor tossed it back to his colleague; Victor missed a second time. Toshiaki groaned and shook his head.

"Victor, focus!" He said.

"I'm trying." Victor replied before glancing to his left to see Elsa, Sparky, and Persephone sitting on the bleachers; he smiled at her.

Elsa nodded her head at Victor and gave him a smile, indicating that she knew he can do it; he nodded back and winded up the bat again. Toshiaki waited a moment, then he threw the ball a third time… only for Victor to hit it just like he did on that first day. Now knowing what to do, Victor ran; he ran as fast as he could to each of the bases but when he was reaching home base, he slipped and clumsily slid into the base. The moment he stopped, Victor suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left arm.

"Oh my gosh, Victor! Are you okay?" Elsa asked as she ran over to him with Sparky and Persephone.

"E-E-Elsa…?" Victor said before everything went black.


	6. At the Hospital

"Victor? Victor, are you okay?"

Victor slowly opened his eyes and saw his parents and Elsa standing over him with concerned looks on their faces. He realized that he was in the local hospital.

"Honey, are you alright?" Susan asked worriedly.

"M-Mom? Dad? What happened? Where am I—Agh!"

Victor tried to sit up, but a sharp pain near his left eye stopped him and he laid back down; he looked at his arm and saw it in a cast. He reached up to touch his head, only to feel a bandage wrapped around it.

"You broke your arm and hit your head pretty hard on the baseball field." Edward replied.

"I get the broken arm, but how did I hurt my head?" Victor asked before a man in a white coat entered the room.

"When you slid, you struck the base itself and you received a concussion; almost broke the orbital bone around your eye." The man replied.

"Is he going to be okay, Dr. Flint?" Elsa asked.

"He's going to be fine, dear." The Doctor replied. "Luckily, Victor has a friend like you who got him over here in a jiffy."

Victor's eyes widened in surprise before he asked, "Elsa? _You_ brought me here?"

She nodded and said, "With a little help from your mom."

Victor then heard two barks; he looked and saw Sparky and Persephone trotting into the room. Sparky hopped up onto the bed and licked his owner's face affectionately. Victor scratched the bull terrier's ears and smiled.

"Hey, boy." He said. "Don't worry, I'm gonna be fine. Right, Doctor?"

"That's right." Dr. Flint answered, nodding his head. "You're going to have a black eye for a while and you'll need to keep that cast on your arm for the next three to six months, but after that you'll be good as new."

"Thank you so much, doctor." Edward said as he shook his hand.

"Of course. Now if you don't mind, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you all to leave. Victor needs his rest." The doctor said before leading Susan, Edward, Elsa, and the two dogs towards the door.

"Wait! Can Elsa stay, just for a little bit?" Victor asked.

"Well… alright. But just for a few minutes." The doctor said as he, Edward, and Susan exited the room with Sparky and Persephone following suit.

"Something wrong, Victor?" Elsa asked as she sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to say… thank you." Victor replied.

"For what?"

"For… getting me over here _and_ for looking after Sparky."

"Oh, that. It was nothing. You helped me at Dutch Day, so I just felt _I_ should help _you_ in return."

"So… I guess this makes us even, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it does."

The two tweens smiled at each other and laughed before they felt their hands touch. They pulled away and blushed in embarrassment.

"Hey, Victor!"

Both Victor and Elsa jumped at the voice. They looked at the door and saw Edgar, Bob, Toshiaki, and Nassor standing in the doorway; Nassor and Toshiaki didn't look very happy, not one bit.

"Are you okay?" Bob asked as he and Edgar approached the bed.

"What are you guys doing here?" Victor asked.

"We were there when your accident happened." Toshiaki replied.

"Now because of your new injuries, you can't be on the team anymore. At least not until your arm fully heals." Nassor added.

"You mean… I'm _suspended_ from the baseball team?" Victor asked, sounding slightly hopeful.

"For the time being… yes." Toshiaki and Nassor answered.

'No more baseball for six months. That's probably the _best_ news I've heard all day!' Victor thought, smiling to himself.


	7. Something's Wrong With Persephone

About three weeks had passed; Victor had his left arm in a cast and sling and a black eye, but he didn't seem to mind. Even though he couldn't properly build any new inventions nor do any big science projects or new home movies _and_ the cast he wore itched like crazy, he was okay. And luckily, he was right handed… and Elsa was usually there to help him if he needed it. He felt more and more comfortable, happy, and safe around her; he felt she was someone he could really connect with.

One day at school, Elsa approached Victor's desk in class with a rather worried look on her face.

"Hey, Victor. How's your arm doing?" She asked.

"A little better than before." He replied before he looked up and noticed his friend's worried look. "Elsa? What's wrong?"

"Uh, it… it's Persephone. I think she's _sick_."

"Sick? Oh no. Tell me what's wrong."

"Well, she's been really tired lately; she's been taking more naps during the day. She's also been having trouble keeping her food down. She's thrown up _four_ times in the past two days. I'm really worried about her."

"Okay, don't worry. I'm sure there's a logical explanation. Maybe we should take her to the vet after school, just to see if it's anything serious."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Thanks, Victor."

"No problem."

"Okay, kids. Quiet down. Take your seats; we have a lot to discuss." A woman with brown hair, glasses, and a green sweater said as she entered; the class recognized her as the sixth grade English teacher, Mrs. Winston.

As Elsa promptly sat down at her desk, Victor raised his hand.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Winston? Where's Coach Barnes?" He asked.

"Oh, _she_ won't be teaching your class for a while." She replied as she turned to face the class. " _I_ will."

"Um, no offense Mrs. Winston, but do you know anything about science?" Elsa asked, nervously raising her hand.

"Of course I do, dear. Just because I teach English doesn't mean I can't teach other things from time to time." Mrs. Winston replied.

Victor and Elsa glanced over at each other, unsure of what was in store for them and the rest of the class. The teacher cleared her throat.

"Now before we begin, I'd like to introduce a couple of new students today." Mrs. Winston said as two young girls entered the room and stopped beside her; one girl had her dark hair pulled up into a bun and she was wearing a grayish yellow sweater and the other had puffy light brown hair and rectangular glasses. "This is Hillary and Mae-Lee; they're your new classmates. Why don't you go take a seat, girls? Then we can start class."

The two girls nodded at Mrs. Winston and they each promptly took a seat in the front row. Toshiaki and Nassor glanced at the girls curiously, not sure of what to say. The girls looked in their direction.

"Hello." The girl in the sweater said to them. "My name is Mae-Lee."

"Hello." Toshiaki replied, reaching out to shake her hand. "I am Toshiaki and this is my associate, Nassor."

"Hello." Nassor said as he shook the other girl's hand. " _You_ must be Hillary."

"Yes, you'd be correct. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hillary replied with a nod.

"Yes, you two seem very mature and sophisticated for your age." Mae-Lee pointed out.

"Thank you." Toshiaki said; Nassor nodded in agreement.

"Okay, that's enough. As nice as it is to see the new girls making friends already, you lot can get to know one another _after_ class." Mrs. Winston said; as sweet as she was, she still had to enforce the class rules.

"Mrs. Winston?" Edgar raised his hand. "What are we going to do today?"

"I was just getting to that, Edgar. Now let me see, where did you kids leave off…?" Mrs. Winston said as she opened the binder sitting on the desk and took a look. "Oh, it says here… we're going to do something a little _different_ today."

"What do you mean 'a little different'?" Toshiaki asked.

The teacher smiled; she then walked around the classroom and gave a packet of paper to every student. On the front page it read in big bold letters: "Make Friends Through Pen and Paper". No one knew what it meant.

"Mrs. Winston, what is this?" The Weird Girl asked.

"This is your new assignment." Mrs. Winston replied with a sly smile.

The packet read that the students were required to write a one page letter and send it off on a balloon and if a letter comes back, then the students would each have a pen pal. And the letter was due the next day because that was when they would be launching them into the sky.

After a long day, the bell finally rang. Victor and Elsa were walking down the sidewalk side by side on the way home… and they were discussing the assignment Mrs. Winston had just given them.

"So, what do you think of this project, Victor?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know. I'll have to see what my parents think of it first." Victor replied.

"Yeah. Same goes for my uncle. I just hope he doesn't make too big a deal out of it."

"Uh, speaking of your uncle…"

Elsa looked up and saw Persephone lying on the front lawn of her uncle's house and she wasn't looking so good; the Mayor was standing over the poodle and glowering at her.

"Uncle Bob? What's going on?" Elsa asked as she and Victor ran towards him.

"Your dog is acting up again." Mayor Bergermeister replied.

"Oh no, she looks terrible." Victor said, kneeling down to get a better look at Persephone.

"She looks even worse than before." Elsa said worriedly.

"Victor?" Susan called as she strode towards the Mayor's house. "Honey, what's going on?"

"Oh, mom!" Victor said as he looked up at his mother. "Can you drive me, Elsa, and Persephone to the vet? We think she's sick."

"Oh no, the poor little thing." Susan said, kneeling down and gently stroking the poodle's head. "Let's get her in the car. We can go right now; Sparky can come too."

"But Sparky _hates_ the vet." Victor pointed out before he heard Persephone start to gag.

"Oh boy, not again." Elsa said, taking a small step back; Susan and Victor stood up and did the same before the poodle finally threw up right there on the walkway.

Mayor Bergermeister stood in shock and disgust before he glowered at Elsa and Victor.

"I'll go get Sparky." Victor said before heading to the backyard of his house.

"Um… Elsa? Would you help me get Persephone into the car?" Susan asked.

"Sure." Elsa replied before she picked up her beloved dog as gently as she could and went next door with Susan.

"Wait a minute, who's going to clean _this_ up?!" The Mayor shouted as he stood before the puddle of dog vomit on his lawn.


	8. The News

"Well, I'll be darned." The vet, Dr. Hawthorne, said as she looked at her clipboard. "It looks like Persephone isn't sick at all… She's going to have _puppies_."

"PUPPIES?!" Victor and Elsa screamed in shock.

"That's right." Dr. Hawthorne said with a smile. "I'd say she's roughly four days in already. So you should expect the puppies to be here within the next two weeks or so."

Victor and Elsa looked at each other, then at Sparky and Persephone; they seemed to be cuddling and smiling. It looked like they were pretty excited for puppies of their own.

"Thank you, Dr. Hawthorne." Susan said as she shook the vet's hand.

"Of course, Mrs. Frankenstein." Dr. Hawthorne said kindly. "Now I advise that Persephone take it easy for a while; we don't want anything bad to happen to the puppies. So no rough play of any kind, understand?"

Elsa nodded before gently tying the leash to the poodle's neck and heading towards the door with Victor, Sparky, and Susan.

"Thank you, doctor." Elsa said before she and the others exited the vet's office.

On the way back, Victor, Elsa, and Susan couldn't stop thinking about what Dr. Hawthorne had told them; in just a few weeks, Persephone was going to become a mother… and Sparky a father.

"Puppies, puppies, puppies…" Elsa repeated under her breath.

Finally, they made it back to the neighborhood. Elsa and Persephone exited the car and walked towards the Mayor's house, but not before Victor called out,

"Elsa?"

She turned around to see Victor getting out of the car and walking towards her.

"Yes?" She asked curiously.

"I, um… I just want you to remember that… if you need any help, _don't_ hesitate to ask." Victor said nervously, a blush starting to form on his cheeks; Elsa blushed too.

"Thanks. And maybe we could talk about this whole… thing later on, so we can work things out." She said.

"Good idea."

"Come on, Victor. It'll be time for dinner." Susan called as she and Sparky entered the house.

"I'd better get going."

"Yeah, me too. But thanks, for all your help."

"No problem. See you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely.

The two smiled at each other and parted. When Elsa made it into her uncle's house with Persephone, she sighed and knelt down to look at her dog.

"I can still hardly believe it, Persephone." She said. "No wonder you've been acting so weird lately."

Persephone barked and affectionately nuzzled herself against her owner; Elsa carefully wrapped her arm around the canine in a hug. The Mayor cleared his throat.

"Uh… hi, Uncle Bob." She said nervously.

"So… what's wrong with that dog of yours? Anything _serious_?" Mayor Bergermeister asked.

The girl looked at her dog, who looked at her worriedly; Elsa had no idea what to say.

At Victor's house, Victor and Susan had told Edward everything.

"Puppies?!" Edward exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Yep. Dr. Hawthorne said that they'll be born in a couple weeks." Victor said, nodding his head.

"Well I'll be… Sparky's going to be a father!" Edward exclaimed; Sparky shot up and trotted towards the dinner table at the mention of his name.

"I still hardly believe it, dear. When we were given the news, I was genuinely floored." Susan said as she took her seat. "But as exciting as this is, we'll need to be prepared for when the puppies do arrive. We'll need a plan."

"Yes, but what do you say we go over it a little later on down the line?" Edward suggested. "For now, I'd just like to enjoy dinner."

"Good idea." Victor said.

"But first… Victor, I'd like to talk to you about this new school project." Edward said.

"Project?"

"This pen pal project."

"Oh, that. What about it?"

"I just think… that it's a _great_ idea!"

"Okay dad, let me just… Wait, what?"

"I said it's a great idea. This would be a fantastic way for you to make friends. Have you figured out what you wanted to write yet?"

"…Not yet."

"Well you'd better get started on it. It's due tomorrow, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah."

"But remember; if you need any help, don't be afraid to ask us."

After dinner, Victor sat at his desk in his room looking at an open notebook and a pencil in his hand. He wanted to write a good letter, but he had never done this pen pal thing before so he had no idea what to do. Sparky was lying on the bed, looking at his owner with curious eyes. Victor groaned in frustration.

"Ugh! I just don't know!" He exclaimed. "There are so many things I can write, but I've got _nothing_!"

"Victor?" Susan said.

"Mom? What are you doing?" Victor asked, turning around to see his mother enter his room.

"Nothing; it's just I couldn't help but overhear."

"Oh, that. Well… right now, I have no clue what to write; I just keep drawing a blank."

"It's okay, sweetheart. Everyone gets writer's block from time to time… Do you need any help?"

"…Yeah, I think I do."


	9. Launching the Letters (The Agreement)

The next morning at school, Victor sat at his desk with the finished letter in his hand; it had his name and house address on it, but no stamp. They were going to attach the letters to balloons and launch them into the sky that very day; he was nervous.

"Okay, does everyone have their letters ready?" Mrs. Winston asked; everyone nodded. "Good. Now I have the balloons all ready and they're outside right now. Are you ready?"

The class nodded.

"Then let's go. And be sure to have your letters with you at all times."

The class got up from their desks and went out to the field; lots of brightly colored helium balloons were tied to the fence of the baseball diamond waiting for the group.

"Now form a line and grab a balloon, then attach it to your letter. But don't let go of it yet; we'll be launching them all together." Mrs. Winston instructed; a line was formed. Victor was standing in front of Elsa; he decided to strike up a conversation with her.

"Elsa? How did your uncle react to the… news?" He asked in a whisper.

"About Persephone? Oh… not too well." Elsa replied. "He was pretty shocked and angry about the whole thing; he kept saying things like 'That dead mongrel next door got your dog pregnant!' or something similar to that. But the worst part is… he wants nothing to do with the puppies and he's planning on _selling_ them after their born."

"What?! No, he can't do that!" He cried.

"That's what I said!" She remarked.

Then, Victor had an idea.

"Hey, I know. Why don't you and your uncle come over to my house after school today and you, me, my parents, and your uncle could talk things over? That way, we could all make a responsible decision without doing anything too drastic."

"Good idea… I just have to find some way to make my uncle agree."

"…Now that could be a problem."

"But I'm sure I'll think of something."

"Okay, you two. That's enough; you can continue your conversation _after_ class. Now grab a balloon." Mrs. Winston said when Victor and Elsa made their way to the front of the line.

Victor grabbed a red balloon while Elsa grabbed a blue one; Mrs. Winston added a small piece of tape to the strings. The two exited the line together and stood side by side in a circle; Hillary was standing next to Elsa.

"I couldn't help but overhear your little chat with Victor." She whispered. "Something about… _puppies_ and getting rid of them?"

"That's none of your business, Hillary." Elsa hissed.

"Hey, Victor. What's all this about puppies?" Edgar whispered. "Is it something between you and Elsa? Can I get in on it?"

"None of your business. And one more thing, Edgar… shut up." Victor shushed.

"Okay. Now that everyone has a balloon, attach it to your letter and we can launch." Mrs. Winston said; everyone did as they were told. "Ready? And… go!"

The students let go and the balloons floated into the air and flew off into the sky until they finally faded from view. The school day ended as quickly as it began; Victor and Elsa walked home together, as usual, and they knew what they had to do. That night, the two children awkwardly at the table in Victor's house with Mayor Bergermeister, Susan, and Edward sitting with them; they were discussing what they were going to do with Sparky and Persephone's puppies when they were born. There was a bit of yelling, mostly from the Mayor himself, and it took a long time, but in the end… they all finally came to a reasonable agreement.

"So what you're saying is that when the puppies are born… Victor and Elsa can look after them?" The Mayor asked.

"Why not? Half for Victor, half for Elsa; _and_ they can even switch." Edward replied.

"I personally think that's a _terrific_ idea." Susan said with a smile; Victor and Elsa agreed.

They all looked expectantly at the Mayor who was looking at the two dogs in one corner of the room. He sat in silence for thirty seconds until he let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine." He said, reluctantly shaking Edward's hand.

Victor and Elsa smiled, stood from their chairs, and hugged each other tightly. But they quickly pulled away in embarrassment. They looked at Edward, Susan, and the Mayor who were looking at them in surprise; they blushed and glanced away from one another.


	10. The Puppies Arrive

Days passed and Persephone's pregnancy progressed; she was eating more and she was rather tired and she napped more often. Victor and Elsa did their very best to care for Persephone, but she was fine especially with Sparky at her side.

And during that time, a letter from an unrecognizable address arrived at Victor's house. Susan found it while she was leafing through the mail one morning. It had Victor's name on it as well as the house address, so she decided to give it to him one Saturday morning. When Susan gave him the envelope, Victor inspected at it curiously; he wondered who in England would send him a letter… until he remembered the Pen Pal Project from school.

"My balloon made its way to LONDON!" He cried in revelation.

He carefully opened the envelope and there was a picture of a boy with black hair and fair skin and wearing a pale blue sweater who looked to be his age along with a singular piece of paper. It read,

" _Dear Victor Frankenstein,_

 _Hello. My name is Shamus Holmes. I'm also eleven years old and I live in London England with my father, mother, and two older sisters._

 _May I be honest with you? I have no idea how to do this sort of thing either, so please forgive me for that. And I'm very sorry that it took me this long to respond, I only just got your letter a week and a half ago. I found it dangling from a red balloon in the old tree outside my house and I hadn't the slightest idea what to write. I'm assuming you'd like to know more about me so… here we go._

 _Like you, I'm also in the sixth grade and I have a slight interest in science, but I also enjoy learning history and forensics. Not many people know this, but I dream of becoming a police officer someday and helping any and all people in need… as well as solve mysteries and crimes, like the main character in my favorite books, Sherlock Holmes. Isn't it funny how he and I have the same last name? Probably just a coincidence._

 _I suppose that's it for now. Write back to me as soon as you can and if you really want to, maybe we can become friends._

 _Signed,_

 _Shamus Holmes_ "

"Shamus Holmes?" Victor quoted as he looked at the picture of the boy; Shamus looked pretty nice and he seemed innocent enough.

"Hey, Victor." Edward said as he walked into his son's room; he noticed the letter and photo. "What've you got there?"

"Oh, this? Just… a letter from a kid in London." Victor replied.

" _London_?"

"Yeah, his name is Shamus. Apparently, he got the letter on my balloon."

"Well, that's great, son. Mind if I take a look?"

"Go ahead."

Edward read through the letter and smiled at his son.

"I want to write Shamus back." Victor said simply.

"Well nothing's stopping you, son." Edward replied. "Well done. You just made a new friend."

Victor smiled.

A few more days went by and then… the big day finally came. It was a cold, rainy evening and Elsa and Persephone were having dinner over at Victor's house when it happened. When she and Sparky were cuddling in one corner of the dining room, Persephone started to whimper and cry out in pain. Elsa turned her head to look at her dog and she gasped.

"Oh my gosh, Persephone!" She cried as she ran over to the poodle. "Persephone, are you okay?"

"What's wrong with her?" Susan asked.

Elsa's eyes suddenly widened in horror at the sudden realization; she looked back at the Frankenstein family.

"…I think the puppies are coming!" She yelled.

"Wait, what? NOW?!" Victor screamed, standing up from his chair.

"We need to get her to the vet!" Edward exclaimed.

"Uh… It might be a bit too late for that. Her temperature dropped." Elsa remarked as she felt Persephone's face; it felt cooler. "We need to act fast. We'll need a blanket, some rags, and water, STAT!"

Edward, Susan, and Victor ran in different directions to get what they needed. Victor grabbed a large blanket while Susan fetched lots of spare rags and Edward filled a bowl with tap water. The blanket was laid under Persephone and the rags and water were used to wipe up any stains. Then, it began. It took a few hours at most and Persephone was somewhat struggling, but Elsa and Sparky stayed at her side every step of the way. Then there was a knock at the door; Edward went to answer it.

"Come on, Persephone; you can do it. That's a good girl." Elsa said encouragingly.

"Elsa?" Two voices asked.

Elsa turned around and she gasped when she saw two people standing over her with shocked looks on their faces; it was her parents.

"Mom, Dad?!" She cried as she stood up.

"Honey, what's going on?" Her father, Jonathon, asked as he hugged his daughter.

"What's wrong with Persephone?" Elsa's mother, Lydia, asked worriedly.

"She's having puppies and they're almost here." Victor replied.

"PUPPIES?!" Both adults cried.

"Oh man, here they come!" Victor exclaimed; Elsa sat back down next to him.

It was truly a sight to behold; after a while, Persephone had successfully given birth to four adorable little pups, two boys and two girls. Sparky sat at the poodle's side, gently an affectionately licking her face; the bull terrier looked at the puppies, realizing that he was now a father. Elsa started crying; she felt she had just become an aunt… and Victor an uncle.

"Oh my goodness." Susan whispered.

"Would you look at that…?" Edward muttered.

"They're so cute." Victor commented; Elsa nodded and said nothing.

"Your uncle never told us that Persephone was _pregnant_." Jonathon commented.

"When did this happen?" Lydia added.

"About three weeks ago." Edward replied.

"Hey, Victor? Elsa? Have you thought about what you wanted to name the puppies?" Susan asked the two children.

"Us?" They asked.

"Yes; they _are_ yours now, technically." Susan said.

"Hmm. I guess I haven't really thought about that until now. Have you?" Victor asked.

"No." Elsa replied before she looked at the little female poodle. "But I _have_ always liked Anastasia."

"Hmmm, I like it, a lot. Hey… how about Coal?"

"And Raven?"

"And for the last one? …Hades."

The two children looked at the canines huddled together before them; Persephone and Sparky nodded their heads at their owners, indicating that they like the names they picked. It wasn't just Sparky and Persephone; from now on, it was Sparky, Persephone, Coal, Raven, Anastasia, and Hades and they were all one big happy family.


	11. In the Eighth Grade

A couple of years went by and Coal, Raven, Anastasia, and Hades had grown up into sweet, energetic, and playful dogs; Victor, Elsa, Sparky, and Persephone took very good care of the four of them and played with them all the time. And during that time, Victor would write to his new friend, Shamus, almost every day, telling him about different exciting things that happened like the birth of the puppies and him participating in the science fair even with his still broken arm at the time. Elsa had also gained a pen pal of her own; it was a young named Kristen who lived out in New York City.

During that time, Victor and Elsa had started to grow closer and closer as friends and they were almost inseparable, rarely separated. They would be seen doing homework together, studying together, and even having lunch together… which the rest of the class quickly noticed.

Finally, they reached middle school. The eighth grade had started and everyone was going through puberty… and pheromones were in the air.

One day in class, Edgar approached Victor's desk.

"Hey, Victor." The hunchback said.

"Hi, Edgar." Victor uneasily greeted. "…Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact… you can." Edgar said quickly. "I need… advice."

"If you want advice on doing better in baseball, then go ask Toshiaki or Nassor. I can't help you there."

"No, not baseball advice… I need advice on _girls_."

Victor's eye widened; did he just hear the hunchback right or was he still asleep back at home?

" _Girls_?" He repeated.

"Yes." Edgar whispered. "The whole school has seen you with Elsa for the past two years and I just want to know… how do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How are you guys so close? Even after these _several months_?"

"Oh, uh… I don't know. I guess we just enjoy each other's company, that's all. And since Sparky and Persephone had their pups, I guess we just…grew closer."

"Enjoy your company, huh? …Thanks, Victor. I owe you."

"Hold up, Edgar… Why do you need advice on girls all of a sudden?"

Edgar froze and gulped; his eyes seemed to be glancing in a different direction… and a small blush was starting to form on his cheeks. When the teacher entered the classroom, he relaxed and quickly headed over to his seat near the back. Victor was confused and he looked to see where Edgar was looking; it was the Weird Girl sitting in the very back of the classroom.

At lunch, Victor decided to investigate Edgar's behavior… which was much _stranger_ than usual. He approached Edgar who was sitting with Bob and Toshiaki.

"Hey, Edgar? Why did you ask me that question in class?" Victor asked.

"Uh, what question?" Edgar asked, trying to sound innocent.

"The one about girls. What's that all about?" Victor replied.

"Edgar? Why do you ask _Victor_ for advice on _girls_?" Toshiaki questioned, raising an eyebrow.

The hunchback froze and said nothing for a good minute before Bob asked a question of his own.

"Is this about that dance coming up?" He asked.

"What dance?" Victor asked as he sat down.

"You don't know?" Toshiaki exclaimed before he took a poster out of his backpack and handed it to Victor. "There is a masquerade dance coming up for Halloween. Everyone will be going."

The poster was a bright red color and it was decorated with tiny black bats, a crescent moon in one corner, and jack-o-lanterns. It read: " _ **New Holland Junior High School Halloween Masquerade Dance**_ " in big bold black letters. And on the bottom of the poster was a date: " _October 20 at 5 pm_ ". Victor looked back at Toshiaki.

"I'm sorry, but I never heard." He said, handing the piece of paper back to his classmate.

"That's okay, Victor." Bob said sympathetically.

"But this dance still doesn't explain why…" Victor began before glancing at Edgar who wasn't paying any attention to their conversation; he was looking at a table in another part of the cafeteria.

"Edgar? E? You okay?" Bob asked as he shook his shoulder.

"It's like he's in a trance." Toshiaki commented, waving a hand in front of his face.

"What the heck is he looking at?" Victor asked.

"Is it not obvious?" Nassor's voice remarked; the three boys jumped and looked to see Nassor slowly approach their table and sit down. "He is staring at _her_."

Nassor pointed a finger at the Weird Girl who was sitting at the table Edgar was staring at; Edgar's eyes seemed to be glazed over and he had a rather dorky smile on his face as he leaned on his hand.

"Edgar!" Victor cried, clapping his hands in front of the hunchback's face.

"Huh, huh? What, what? What happened?" Edgar stuttered, snapping back to reality.

"You were staring at the Weird Girl again." Nassor commented.

"She has a name, you know." Edgar huffed. "…It's _Mindy_ , in case you're having a slow day."

"Mindy?" Bob questioned, just oblivious as always.

"Hold on… You want to ask Weir— I mean, _Mindy_ … to the Halloween Dance, don't you?" Toshiaki inquired.

"What?! I-I-I-I-I, uh um…" Edgar sputtered, trying to think of a believable fib.

"Come now, Edgar. We can see your blush; you're so red you look like a tomato. You like her, don't you?" Nassor teased.

"Hey, leave him alone." Bob intervened. "If he wants to have a crush on Mindy, let him. At least he wants to ask her to the dance. But the bad news is he has no idea how, we should help him."

"…Thanks, Bob." Edgar said.

"No problem…" Bob said before looking back at Nassor and Toshiaki. "And I'm just putting it out there, I know _you_ guys each have a girl you want to ask to the dance too."

Toshiaki and Nassor froze and looked at each other nervously; they knew exactly who he was talking about… Hillary and Mae-Lee. The four boys were so enthralled with their conversation that they didn't even notice Victor get up and find a different table to sit at. He quickly found one and took a seat next to Elsa.

"Hey." She greeted with a smile.

"Hi." He greeted back; he smiled back.

"What's going on with Edgar?" Elsa asked.

"Oh… it's nothing." Victor replied. "Hey, do you know about the Halloween Dance?"

'What the heck did I say that for?!' He thought, doing a mental facepalm. 'Of course she knows, practically _everyone_ in school knows!'

"Yeah, so what?" Elsa inquired.

"…Never mind." He replied in defeat.

Toshiaki, Nassor, Bob, and Edgar looked and saw Victor sitting next to Elsa at that different table and smiled.

"Looks like we're not alone in wanting a date for this dance." Toshiaki commented.

"Seems like it." Nassor added with a nod.

Bob and Edgar looked at Victor and even though they agreed, they said nothing. After school, Victor sat at his desk, reading the latest letter from Shamus and thinking of what to write back. The letter read:

" _Dear Victor,_

 _First of all, how are you? Good? I'm good too… sort of. Well, a lot has happened to me over here. My older sisters had gotten into a fight, it was very nasty. I was doing my homework, minding my own business when I heard screaming and a crashing sound from downstairs. Even though I knew what was going on, I decided to investigate anyway. I went down the stairs and I saw my sisters, Muriel and Louise, screaming and yelling at one another. I don't know what they were arguing about (I bet it was something petty and insignificant), but I felt I had to step in. So I did… and the results were pretty disastrous. I ended up getting punched in the face, which resulted in a broken and bleeding nose; I had to go to the doctor for it._

 _Well that's all I have to write today. I'm sorry I couldn't think of anything else. But if anything exciting happens to you, let me know._

 _Signed,_

 _Shamus_ "

Victor smiled before he opened a notebook, got out a pencil, and began to write.

" _Dear Shamus,_

 _I'm sorry to hear about your accident and I hope you'll be okay. You know something? I never knew what it's like to have siblings, being an only child and all. But I guess it's alright; I have you and Elsa to talk to and you guys are like my practically closest friends. And speaking of Elsa… I'm planning on asking her to the upcoming Halloween dance, but I have no idea how to go about it. I know this may sound like a stretch but do you think you can help me out? But it's okay if you don't want to; I understand. Talk to you soon._

 _Signed,_

 _Victor_ "


	12. The Halloween Dance Approaches

A week went by. The Halloween dance was getting closer and pretty much everyone had a date… except for Victor. He was far too scared to ask the one girl he wanted to go with, Elsa. He knew he had written to Shamus asking for advice, but he didn't get a response yet and now he felt like he couldn't wait any longer; he _had_ to ask Elsa sometime soon or else he'll be too late.

At school, Victor sat at his desk with his head buried in his notebook; it had a long list of possible scenarios on how he could ask Elsa to the dance.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked.

Victor looked up and saw Toshiaki standing at his desk with a raised eyebrow.

"May I help you?" Victor asked.

"…You want to ask Elsa to the dance." Toshiaki whispered. "But you don't have to do any of these pointless little schemes to do it."

"Well… what would _you_ do? How did you ask Mae-Lee to be your date?"

"…I just asked her."

"That's it?"

"Yes. It's as simple as that. Think it over; it is worth a try. And I suggest you do it soon; it's now or never."

He went straight to his seat.

"Hello, Elsa." The Weird Girl, Mindy, said to Elsa just before they entered the classroom.

"Uh, hi Mindy." Elsa said uneasily.

"…You want Victor to ask you to the dance, don't you?" Mindy asked.

"H-h-h-how do you know that?" Elsa nervously inquired.

"Edgar told me… before he asked me to be his date."

" _Edgar_?"

Mindy blushed and smiled nervously; Elsa gently nudged her in the ribs and smirked ay her. Then Mindy's blush faded and she shook her head; she was getting off track.

"This isn't about me." She said before turning back to her friend. "This is about you and Victor."

"Well… so what? It's no big deal, really." Elsa retorted embarrassedly.

"It _is_ a big deal. You like him, don't you? AND you want him to ask you to the dance, right?"

"Well, yeah but—"

"But _nothing_. And if he doesn't ask you, then _you_ should ask _him_."

"No! I can't do that! What if he says no? What if he laughs at me? What if he never wants to talk to me again?!"

"He won't."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I've seen the way you two look at each other. You're closer than any other two people I've ever known."

"Girls? Get your hindquarters in here; it's time for class." The teacher said before entering the classroom.

"The dance is in TWO DAYS, Elsa. It's now or never." Mindy said before she and Elsa entered the classroom and took their seats.

After class, Victor stood at his locker and thought about Toshiaki had said to him… and he decided to take his advice and give it a try.

'Come on, Victor.' He thought. 'You have to do it _now_ or you'll never get another chance. This is _no_ time to be a wimp.'

He looked up and saw Elsa walking down the hall towards him. He froze.

'Oh man, there she is…' He thought.

'Maybe Mindy's right. Maybe I should step up and ask him first. It'll be quick and easy, I'm sure of it.' Elsa said to herself before she glanced up to see Victor. 'There he is now.'

She walked over to him, her face turned bright red as she bit her lip. Victor glanced away from her and nervously grinned as a blush started to form on his own cheeks.

'You can do this, Victor. You can do this, you _can_ do this.' Victor said to himself before clearing his throat.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi." Elsa replied.

"So… the Halloween Dance is this Saturday."

"…Are you gonna go?"

"I'd like to, yeah but, um… d-do you think we could, oh I dunno… maybe you and I could…? I-I mean… Oh boy."

"What's wrong?"

Victor took a deep breath and looked Elsa dead in the eye.

"Elsa?" He asked.

"Yes, Victor?" Elsa questioned, a smile creeping onto her lips.

"…Will you go to the Halloween Dance with me?"

"Yes, yes, YES!"

Elsa grinned and wrapped her arms around Victor in a hug before regaining her composure and pulling away from her friend; their faces turned bright red.

"I-I mean, uh… yeah, I'd love to." She stuttered.

"R-R-Really?" Victor asked with wide eyes.

She nodded and smiled before they heard the bell ring.

"Wanna head to class together?" Victor asked, offering his hand to Elsa.

"Why not?" Elsa replied before taking her friend's hand and going down the hall with him to their next class.

"Nice one." Toshiaki whispered as he watched from afar.

When the day of the Halloween dance came, everyone at New Holland Junior High was getting ready. That night, Victor decided to wear a black button-up shirt with a neon green necktie, a swamp green jacket, fingerless leather gloves, black and gray striped pants, his regular shoes, and a pair of goggles from his lab in the attic; his face was painted bright green with little scars scattered about and a pair of fake bolts were attached to both sides of his neck. When Victor was ready, Susan couldn't stop taking pictures of him.

"You just look so handsome, Victor!" Susan gushed with the camera in her hands. "My little monster!"

"Ugh, mom! Would you stop?! You've already taken like, 300 pictures already! It's getting embarrassing." The boy groaned.

"Nonsense, I've only taken—" Susan said before Edward stepped in.

"Honey, Victor has a point." He said. "He's going to be late."

"Oh, you're right. I'm sorry." Susan chuckled. "Well, I hope you have a good time at the dance, sweetie."

"Thanks, mom." Victor said before heading towards the door. "I'll see you guys later."

"Just be careful out there." Susan commented before handing her son a flashlight.

"Bye, son." Edward said.

Sparky, Hades, and Raven barked happily as Victor headed out the door, leaving Susan in tears of joy.

"Oh, our son has grown up into a fine young man, hasn't he?" She cried.

"He has." Edward replied, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulder. "Thankfully, he has such a great mother to help with that."

"And, of course, his dashing father helped too." Susan playfully said as she hugged her husband.

"No doubt about that."

Victor towards Elsa's house and knocked on the door; Elsa's father, Jonathon answered.

"Good evening, Mr. Van Helsing sir." The boy said.

"Why good evening, Victor. I assume you're here to take my daughter to the Halloween Dance." The man said politely.

"Yes, sir."

Jonathon smiled, turned his head, and called out in a sing-song tone,

"Oh Juliet! Your Romeo has arrived!"

"Dad!" Elsa's voice cried out in embarrassment.

"Excuse me; I'll be just a minute." Jonathon said before heading back into the house.

Coal, Anastasia, and Persephone bounded towards Victor in joy; he smiled at the three dogs.

"Hey, you guys." Victor said, kneeling down and scratching their bellies and behind their ears; Persephone licked his face affectionately, thankfully his makeup didn't smudge.

"Hi, Victor."

He was so focused on the dogs that he didn't hear Elsa approach; he quickly got back onto his feet.

"Hey, Elsa. Ready to…?"

Victor looked and what he saw made his eyes widen. Elsa wore a purple Victorian-style dress with a black bodice, fingerless fishnet gloves, a simple black choker necklace with a cameo pendant, pale gray tights, and black ballet slippers with ribbons laced up her legs. Her long black hair was in a big ponytail with streaks of purple and white and it was held together with a silver ribbon. She even wore a little makeup that gave her face a slight glow. When Elsa looked at Victor, her dark eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

'Whoa…' He thought.

Victor opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Elsa glanced down at her costume.

"Is it too much?" She asked.

"What? No! No way!" Victor blurted out before pulling himself together and clearing his throat. "Y-y-you look… _amazing_."

"Thanks." She said, blushing.

"Oh, hello Victor. Don't you look cute?" Elsa's mother, Lydia said as she and Jonathon made their way to the pair; she was holding a camera in her hands.

"Not again." Victor mumbled in embarrassment.

Lydia then took about twenty or thirty pictures of the two of them together and after bidding Jonathon and Lydia goodbye, Victor and Elsa were finally off to the dance. Lydia had started to cry, Jonathon grasped her hand.

"Our little girl is growing up!" She wept.

"It's hard to believe, I know. But it's true; Elsa has become a beautiful young lady." He replied before giving his wife a kiss.

They headed back into the house with Persephone, Anastasia, and Coal following close behind.


	13. At the Dance

Victor and Elsa walked up to the doors leading to the gym and the moment they entered, they were rather surprised. At first, they were expecting to see a lazily decorated gymnasium with cheap helium balloons and cheesy-looking Halloween décor. But they were _way_ off; there were streamers, lots of orange and black balloons, very convincing Halloween decorations, and lights in Halloween colors.

"Wow." Victor said in surprise. "I… never expected the school to go all out for this."

"You took the words right outta my mouth." Elsa muttered, nodding her head and glancing around; the she noticed the rest of the class in one corner of the gym laughing and talking. "Hey Victor, look."

They were all dressed in various costumes; Mindy was dressed as Alice from Lewis Carroll's _Alice in Wonderland_ with Edgar as the White Rabbit, Toshiaki was dressed in samurai armor while Mae-Lee was wearing a trench coat and a surgical mask, Nassor was in royal Egyptian garb and gauze on his arms and legs while Hillary wore the garb and jewelry of a matching Egyptian queen, and Bob was dressed as a sailor while his own date, a girl named Jenny, was in a mermaid-styled outfit. Edgar noticed Victor and Elsa standing at the gym entrance and he yelled,

"Victor!"

Victor froze and awkwardly smiled as the group approached him and Elsa.

"Hey, guys." He said.

"Whoa, you two look great." Bob commented.

"Thanks, Bob." Elsa replied before turning her head towards Mae-Lee. "Hey, Mae-Lee? No offense, but what are you supposed to be? What's your costume?"

Mae-Lee said nothing as she removed her surgical mask to reveal long red scars running through her cheeks. Victor and Elsa gasped.

"Oh my gosh! Mae-Lee, what happened to you? Are you okay?" Victor asked worriedly; Mae-Lee only laughed in response.

"That is exactly what _I_ said when I went to pick her up." Toshiaki laughed along with her.

"Don't worry, my friends." Mae-Lee said calmly as she took a large pair of scissors out of her trench coat. "These scars are just makeup. But to answer your question, Elsa, I am dressed as Kuchisake-Onna, or the Slit-Mouthed Woman."

"It is a famous ghost story from Japan; it has been told for centuries." Toshiaki explained. "A long time ago in the Japanese Heian period, a samurai was married to a beautiful woman; she was the object of everyone's affection and she knew it. She would go around the village and ask those who stared, 'Am I pretty?' The samurai was not happy with the attention she was drawing to herself and when he discovered that she was being unfaithful, he flew into a jealous rage and he wanted her to pay."

"What did he do?" Edgar asked, intrigued by the story.

"One night, armed with a knife, he attacked her." Mae-Lee continued. "He pressed the blade into her cheek and slit her mouth from ear to ear, leaving her with a bloody twisted grin. 'Who will think you are beautiful NOW?' The samurai asked her as she bled and wept. Soon afterwards, she died and returned to Earth as an angry spirit known as Kuchisake-Onna who carries a huge pair of scissors which she uses to kill anyone she came across."

"Has anyone ever seen her?" Mindy inquired.

"Not that I know of." Mae-Lee replied, shaking her head and putting the surgical mask back on.

"So… those scissors you're holding _aren't_ real?" Victor asked.

"Oh, heavens no. I made them out of cardboard, popsicle sticks, craft foam, and paint. What do you think?"

"They're _really_ cool." Bob commented.

"Thank you."

"Ahem. Attention! Attention, everyone!" A voice said.

The group turned to face the stage and saw Mr. Bradford, the theater teacher, onstage standing in front of a microphone. He was wearing a Shakespearean outfit, complete with tights and poofy sleeves… which made a couple of students laugh under their breath.

"Good evening and welcome to New Holland Junior High's Halloween Masquerade Dance." Mr. Bradford proudly announced; the students in attendance politely clapped their hands. "We have a pretty big night planned. First of all, there's going to be a costume contest held at 6:30 and then at 7:00, there will be a dance contest now is your chance to sign up for either one or _both_ if you want; the sign-up sheet is right next to the snack table. And finally at the end of the evening, we will be crowning the King and Queen of the Masquerade. Anyone is allowed to participate and the winners will be announced at 8:00 when the Dance has finally come to a close so be sure to cast your votes now. Have fun tonight."

And with that, he stepped away from the microphone and walked off the stage. Toshiaki, Nassor, and Edgar were staring at one another before heading over to the snack table, most likely to sign up for both the costume and dance contests. Jenny shook her head.

"Do they have to compete in _everything_?" She asked.

"Some days are better than others." Bob replied before he and Jenny walked back over to the snack table.

Over the course of the evening, everyone was having fun. Nassor, Hillary, Toshiaki, Mae-Lee, Edgar, and Mindy signed up to be part of both the costume and dance contests later on and Victor and Elsa… well, they just spent time together. They talked, they laughed, they ate a little bit, and they just had a grand old time.

Then at about 6:30, Mr. Bradford's voice came on over the loudspeaker.

"Hey, kids. It's time for the costume contest. Whoever signed up, form a single-file line and we'll begin very soon." He said as the students who are part of the contest formed a line near the stage.

There were lots of kids, including Nassor, Edgar, and Toshiaki and their dates. But in the end, Edgar and Mindy were the winners while Nassor and Hillary got second place and Toshiaki and Mae-Lee were in third.

Then at exactly 7:00, music had started to play, which was most likely the start of the dance contest. The competing students danced and danced while the rest of the school watched with wide eyes. And it ended in a tie between Edgar and Toshiaki… since Nassor couldn't dance to save his life. But luckily, Hillary didn't seem to care.

Then a slow song had started to play.

"Well, I think now is about time for a bit of a slow dance." Mr. Bradford said. "So grab that special someone, head out onto the dance floor, and hold them close."

The lights dimmed and the students all went out onto the dance floor. Elsa smiled as she glanced over at Victor; he looked at her and smiled nervously.

"…You wanna dance, Elsa?" He asked, offering his hand to her; Elsa grinned.

"Yes, yes! Oh, I mean… I'd love to." She replied, quickly composing herself.

Victor took Elsa's hand and they made their way to the middle of the dance floor. He slowly snaked a hand around her waist and held her hand in the other before they started to slowly glide across the floor. Victor had never learned to dance before, but that didn't seem to stop him from waltzing with his date. Then he noticed Elsa's graceful movements and strides as they danced.

"Hey, where'd you learn to dance like this?" He asked in a whisper.

"Promise you won't tell?" Elsa asked quietly.

Victor nodded before she leaned in and whispered into his ear, "My uncle has been forcing me to take ballet lessons… and I don't like it."

"Why?"

"Because he thinks it would be good for me for some bizarre reason. And he won't let me quit, no matter what I do."

"Well… you're really good."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah."

Elsa smiled and blushed; Victor did the same. As they danced, some of the other students had noticed and they went out and made some more room, forming a circle around Victor and Elsa. However, they were so enthralled with their dancing and each other that they didn't seem to notice everyone watching them. Then as the music faded to a slow, steady finish, Victor and Elsa stopped and the entire school clapped their hands in applause, which made the two gasp in shock and blush in embarrassment.

"Whoa…" Elsa murmured.

"Yeah, I completely forgot that we weren't alone." Victor added.

"Okay, everyone." Mr. Bradford said into the microphone; the students directed their attention to the stage. "The results are in and now, it's finally time to announce the King and Queen of the Halloween Masquerade."

"Finally." Nassor muttered.

"Let's see who wins." Toshiaki added.

Mr. Bradford held up an envelope, opened it, and said, "The Halloween Masquerade Dance's King and Queen are… Victor Frankenstein and Elsa Van Helsing."

" _Us_?!" Victor and Elsa exclaimed in shock.

"That's right. Come on up and receive your crowns." The teacher said as he gestured the pair to come on to the stage.

The rest of the students clapped their hands in applause; Nassor and Toshiaki weren't very pleased but they clapped anyway, just to be polite. Elsa and Victor made their way onto the stage in front of everyone and right next to Mr. Bradford. He turned, took a king's crown that was sitting on a pillow, and placed it on Victor's head while another teacher took a queen's tiara and put it into Elsa's hair.

"Congratulations, you two. And you can keep the crowns." Mr. Bradford said.

"Hey, how about a kiss?!" Edgar shouted; Victor and Elsa froze and blushed.

"Why not?" Mindy agreed, shrugging her shoulders.

"I agree! We need a kiss to properly end this dance." Toshiaki commented as Nassor nodded in agreement; Mae-Lee and Hillary nodded as well.

"Come on, guys! Kiss, kiss, kiss!" Bob cheered.

"Bob!" Bob's mother cried out from the snack table.

Thinking fast, Victor grabbed the microphone and said, "Okay, okay. Instead of a kiss, why not just one more dance before we all head home?"

"One more dance is fine." Mr. Bradford said before Victor and Elsa headed back to the dance floor quick as lightning.

The dance had finally come to an end and everyone was on their way home. Elsa and Victor had walked out the door and were heading down the sidewalk when Victor thought of something.

"Hey, Elsa?" He asked.

"Yeah?" Elsa asked.

"I just remembered, my dad gave me a bit of money and I was wondering… do you, uh… you wanna go get some ice cream? It's only a block away."

"Ice cream? …Sure, I'd love to."

"Then follow me, my Queen."

"Why of course, my King."

She playfully took his arm and they laughed as they walked over to the ice cream shop. At the shop, Victor got cookies-n-cream and Elsa got mint chocolate chip. Then they went over to the park and sat down on a bench to eat their ice cream and talk. And the moment they finished their ice cream, they got up from the bench and headed back to the neighborhood. They stopped at the door of Elsa's house.

"Thank you, Victor." Elsa said. "I've had such an amazing time tonight."

"Me too." Victor replied before looking her in the eye. "You know, Elsa… I've had a thing for you since that very first day of school."

Elsa's cheeks suddenly turned red as she looked at him and said, "Really? I… I've had a thing for you too, Victor."

Victor's eyes widened and he started to blush too. And then, he grabbed her by the shoulder, leaned in, and pressed his lips against hers. Elsa's eyes widened in shock and her heart beat faster and faster before she closed her eyes and started kissing him back. She never wanted it to end but after a few seconds, they broke away.

"That was…" He stammered.

"…nice." She finished.

Neither of them said a word for what felt like a half hour. Victor awkwardly cleared his throat.

"So, uh… I guess I'll see you at school?" He asked.

"Yeah, school." Elsa replied before surprising Victor with a peck on the cheek. "Um, bye."

"Bye." Victor said before Elsa opened the door and went into the house.

On his way back to his house, Victor still couldn't believe what just happened; he just kissed the girl he's been crushing on since the first day of kindergarten. And when he finally made it home, his parents and the dogs greeted him with overenthusiastic smiles and happy barks.

"Hey, son. How was your night?" Edward asked.

"Did you have fun?" Susan added.

"Yeah, I had… a _lot_ of fun." Victor replied before heading up to his room in a daze.

"Victor? Son, are you okay?" Edward asked before he heard the door to his son's bedroom close; he looked back at his wife. "What was that all about?"

Susan just shrugged at him in response, just as confused as he was. If they could, the dogs would've done the exact same thing. In his room, Victor took off his costume, cleaned the makeup off of his face, changed into his pajamas, and collapsed onto his bed with a huge smile on his face. After replaying the entire night in his head, he realized something before he went over to his desk, opened his notebook, and began to write.

" _Dear Shamus,_

 _I think I'm falling in love with Elsa…_ "


	14. Rumors

Victor went to school on Monday, only to see everyone giving him very weird looks and giggling at him and he had no idea what was going on. When he met up with Elsa in class, he asked her,

"Elsa, do you know what's going on with everyone today?"

"No clue." She answered, shrugging her shoulders.

It was then that Edgar, Mindy, Toshiaki, and Nassor all came into the classroom; they saw Victor and Elsa sitting together and they approached them.

"Hey, guys." Edgar said slyly.

"Hi, Edgar. What are you guys doing here?" Victor asked.

"We're here for class. What else?" Nassor replied; Mindy and Edgar giggled.

"But is something going on?" Elsa asked.

" _You_ tell _us_." Toshiaki answered. "…How was your _kiss_?"

Victor and Elsa froze as they looked at each other wide eyes; they looked back at their friends.

"W-w-w-what are you talking about?" Victor nervously stammered, trying to sound innocent.

"You must be going crazy, Toshiaki." Elsa quickly added, rubbing her hands nervously.

"Don't be like that." Nassor said. "We know all about what happened after the Halloween Dance."

"Like how you went out for ice cream afterwards… and how you _kissed_ on Elsa's doorstep." Mindy commented with a sly smile.

"How do you know about that?" Victor asked.

"We saw the whole thing on our way home from the dance." Edgar said. "We saw you two talking and laughing about something and then… you KISSED."

"…So you told the _whole school_?!" Elsa snapped.

"They told _us_ first." Nassor commented.

"But they had a right to know." Mindy said, shrugging her shoulders and smiling.

"You guys just violated our privacy! Are you CRAZY?!" Victor yelled.

"But you like each other, do you not?" Nassor questioned.

Victor was about to speak when he paused and looked back at Elsa who was blushing at him; he said nothing as a blush formed on his cheeks as well.

"Just as I thought." Nassor said smugly; Toshiaki smiled and nodded.

"So when are you guys gonna start _dating_?" Edgar asked enthusiastically.

"Shut it, Edgar!" Elsa cried out.

"But as of now, the _entire school_ thinks you two are perfect for one another." Toshiaki pointed out.

"What makes you say that?" Victor asked, folding his arms.

"Okay, kids. Quiet down. It's time for class." The teacher said as he entered; the group went back to their seats.

Instead of paying attention to the lesson, Victor thought long and hard about what his friends had said. Were he and Elsa really meant for each other? Well he _did_ confess his feelings to her on the night of the Halloween Dance and he _did_ kiss her. Maybe it _could_ work out. But then he thought about the Mayor and Elsa's parents… and his own parents. What would _they_ think? The Mayor would probably kick him out of town, or WORSE… her father could very well _kill_ him if he really wanted to.

The bell rang. At lunch, Victor and Elsa sat together as usual.

"Elsa, can I talk to you about something?" He asked.

"Is it about what Edgar, Mindy, Nassor, and Toshiaki said?" She replied.

"…Yeah."

"Well… I personally think we're a little young to date. But even if we do start to date, what do you say we do it later on down the line? Like when we're in high school or college or something?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Nobody can just rush into this sort of thing; it takes time, work, and a lot of effort. From what I heard, relationships are hard even under the _best_ of circumstances. I heard that they're not always easy, but there's no doubt it's worth fighting for… according to my mom and dad. You know what I mean?"

After thinking it over for a little bit, Victor looked back at Elsa and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you're right." He said. "We should wait."

"Then it's agreed."

They shook hands and smiled before they started to eat their lunch.

After school, Elsa went home… only to see her parents and her uncle waiting for her in the living room. The room was silent and Elsa felt very nervous and uncomfortable; she cleared her throat.

"Uh… what's going on, guys?" She asked.

"Did you _kiss_ that Victor Frankenstein boy?" Mayor Bergermeister asked with a scowl.

Elsa froze in terror. "…W-w-what?"

"And is it true that he kissed you back?" The Mayor added.

The girl had no clue what to say; she just hung her head in shame and said nothing.

"So it's true." Bergermeister concluded as he stood from the sofa and walked towards his niece.

"Uncle Bob, before you say anything… Victor and I did kiss." Elsa admitted. "But who cares? I really, really, REALLY like Victor and he really likes me back. He and I talked earlier today and we decided that if we did want to date, we would do it later when we're OLDER. And I don't care what you're going to say next; I'm NOT going to stop seeing Victor, whether you like it or not, and there's _nothing_ any of you can say or do that will change my mind! Get the picture?"

Elsa glared daggers at her uncle who took a step back. The Mayor nervously looked over at Jonathon and Lydia for some form of help. Lydia stood up and went over to her daughter.

"Elsa… we're not angry, upset, or ashamed." She said calmly.

"You're not?" Elsa asked as she relaxed her tense muscles.

"We're NOT?" The Mayor rudely questioned; Lydia quickly shushed him by nudging her elbow hard into his ribs.

"Of course not." Jonathon added. "Sweetie, we're just a little surprised."

"B-b-but how did you find out?" The girl asked nervously.

"We received a call from the principal saying that almost every student at school was spreading rumors about you and Victor after the Halloween Dance." Lydia replied.

"And we're proud that you decided to wait until you were older to get into this whole dating business." Jonathon said reassuringly.

"Yes, you're _far_ too young to date." The Mayor commented.

"Stay out of this, Bob." Jonathon hissed; his brother-in-law stayed quiet. "We're just glad you're thinking maturely about this."

"Thanks, guys." Elsa said as she hugged her parents; Persephone, Hades, and Coal entered the room and happily joined the group hug.

At Victor's house, Victor was confronted by his parents as well. They sat at the kitchen table in silence for a minute or two before Edward finally decided to speak.

"Son… is it true that you _kissed_ Elsa from next door?" He questioned.

Victor's brow furrowed as he looked at his father; he looked him in the eye and sternly said, "So what if I _did_ kiss her? Didn't you guys want me to go out and make friends? Well, I'm doing it. I REALLY like Elsa and she likes me too and there's nothing either of you can do or say that will stop me from seeing her!"

Edward and Susan looked at each other, then at their son in shock and surprise. Susan put a hand on Victor's shoulder.

"Sweetheart… we're not upset." She said.

"You're not…?" Victor asked.

"Of course not." Edward added. "But you and Elsa are too young to start dating."

"Way ahead of you, dad. Elsa and I talked earlier today and agreed that we're not gonna rush into this sort of thing. We're going to wait until we're older to start dating, if we ever decide to." Victor replied.

"Really?" Edward asked; the boy nodded. "Wow, that's… a very wise and mature choice, son."

"And we're really proud of you for it." Susan added with a smile.

"Thanks." Victor said as he hugged his parents; Sparky, Anastasia, and Raven came in and joined the embrace.


	15. Letting Go and Moving On

Four years have passed and Victor and Elsa are now seventeen years old in their final year of high school. They've decided to become boyfriend and girl friend a long time ago, since the first day of freshman year. When it was first announced, the whole school had been in an excited uproar; after all, the couple the school had been routing for was finally coming true before their eyes… with Edgar, Mindy, Nassor, and Toshiaki taking the credit, of course. Around the same time, Mindy and Edgar had started dating as well… thanks to the encouragement of Bob and his new girlfriend Jenny.

Be at lunch, in the library, or out on a date, Victor and Elsa were always seen together; they always felt at home around one another and they wouldn't have it any other way.

One stormy night while they were watching a black-and-white horror movie at Victor's house, Elsa was awfully quiet and Victor was growing very curious. They were lounging on the couch side by side; she leaned up against him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"You okay, Els?" Victor asked.

"…I'm worried about Persephone." Elsa suddenly commented.

"Is she sick?" He asked as he got up and pressed a button to pause the movie.

"Yeah. And… she _is_ getting older."

Victor knew exactly where his girlfriend was going with this and he had to swallow the lump in his throat. "Elsa, you know I promised my parents that I—"

"I know, I know." Elsa sighed as she nuzzled against her boyfriend; he held her hand.

Victor knew perfectly well that Persephone was mortal and that when Death decided to pay anyone a visit, there would be no turning back. But then he remembered Sparky and their four pups; he wondered about they would handle her death and his resolve weakened. He knew that Sparky would not want to live without his soul mate. Maybe… maybe now was the time to finally let go.

"Victor? You can press play now." Elsa's voice said.

But he didn't. The boy sighed as he turned the horror movie back on, but he was unable to concentrate on the event happening on the screen before them.

Later that night, at about 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, the phone rang. Victor was suddenly woken up by the sound of his bedroom door opening; he groaned as he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Mom? It's the middle of the night, what's going on?" He yawned.

"Honey? Phone's for you. It's… Elsa." Susan said.

Somehow, Victor knew why his girlfriend was calling now before he could even ask what was wrong. He got out of bed, took the phone, and said into it,

"Hello, Elsa?"

"V-Victor?"

'Oh no, the tone in her voice…' He thought; he knew she was crying.

"Elsa, what's wrong?!"

"It's Persephone. I woke up to get a drink of water and… and I found her. She's…"

Elsa's voice faded, and Victor completely understood what she was trying to say; his face fell. "Oh… you want me to come over?"

"Please. I know you made a promise, but PLEASE; bring her back. It isn't fair that you can have your dog forever and I can't have mine. Sparky would be happier with her too…"

Victor bit his lip as he thought through his girlfriend's words, feeling like he might make himself cry.

"Sparky _would_ be happier with Persephone, and so would the pups. I know it's not fair, and I know you want her back. I can't fix one, but the other two…"

There was a pause on the other end. "Victor, no; I didn't mean it like that."

"No… It would be better." He looked up to where the attic was supposed to be; that was where Sparky usually slept.

"No! Victor, you can't put Sparky down!"

"I'm not practicing euthanasia. I just… I think I should just turn off his electricity. He's charging right now, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Don't! You shouldn't have to lose your dog just because I lost mine. You need him!"

"He's not my only friend anymore." Victor bit back his own tears, finally realizing what he'd been denying. "I have you, and Edgar, and Bob…"

"But you still need him! All of the trouble you went through to bring him back… does that mean nothing to you?"

"Elsa, calm down. I have to lose him eventually, don't I? …And I have to learn how to let go."

"How are you so calm about this?!"

'I'm not.'

"I… I don't know; I guess I just have to be."

After a long moment of silence, Elsa finally spoke again. "Maybe we can bury them together."

"…I bet they'd like that."

"Can we keep talking? I don't think I can go back to sleep right now."

"…Me neither."

"Thanks, Vic."

"No problem, Els."

Meanwhile, Susan and Edward sitting in the other room and watching and listening to everything their son was saying.

A few days went by. It was Sunday when Sparky finally breathed his last, a fairly relieving and devastating moment as Persephone was starting to be beyond help of any kind. A soft drizzle followed the gray morning as the young couple made their way up the hill in the Pet Cemetery, carrying their dogs in the same box between them. Raven, Hades, Coal, and Anastasia were sadly following close behind.

"Here's to the cutest, sweetest dog couple that ever lived." Elsa muttered as she helped her boyfriend set the box into the hole that was dug the day before.

"May they forever rest in peace." Victor added softly.

"And forever rest together."

Victor was a little startled when he felt his girlfriend's gentle hand grasp his own; he wasn't expecting any form of affection today. She rested her head on his shoulder, trying her hardest not to cry. The two held hands in silence, looking down at the hole at the blank top of the box before Victor picked up a nearby shovel and began to cover the hole. The four pups laid themselves down near the grave together as the hole was finally covered with dirt; they whimpered softly, as if they were crying.

As of today, Victor was finally letting go… but at least he didn't have to do it alone.


	16. A Surprise at College Graduation

" _Dear Victor,_

 _I'm so sorry about what happened to Sparky and Persephone; my condolences to both of them and you and Elsa. Speaking of Elsa, I'm glad to hear that you two are together. Judging by the photos you sent me, you two make a beautiful couple… if you don't mind me saying so. I wish I knew what it was like to have someone as loving and caring as Elsa close to me. Sorry if I'm rambling. But I hope to talk to you again soon, my friend._

 _Signed,_

 _Shamus_ "

Victor read over the letter from Shamus a few more times; this was from four years ago and he hasn't received another letter since. Victor was starting to worry about his friend; he hoped nothing bad had happened to him. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. He went to answer it and there was Elsa in her graduation gown and cap with a big smile on her face; it was their college graduation day.

They both majored in science while Elsa had a minor in history and Victor had a minor in veterinary studies. They've been dating for the past seven years, they graduated high school as a pair, and now they were graduating college as a couple.

"You ready?" She asked.

"…I am now." Victor replied as he took his girlfriend's hand and walked out the door with her.

As the ceremony began, the Dean stood in the center of the stage as the crowds of proud parents and little siblings cheered and clapped their hands in applause. Dean Talbot recited his opening speech, talking about how proud he was of every single one of the graduates standing here today. He then began listing off the names of the students one by one, each one of them rising from their chair and receiving their diploma from the Dean when they were called. Victor and Elsa sat next to one another in the students' seating area, holding hands and nervously waiting for their names to be called. About three quarters through, Victor noticed that neither of their names had been called yet, despite 'E' names already having passed. Why hadn't they been called yet?

Soon enough, pretty much everyone except Victor and Elsa had been given their diploma. Elsa looked around, confused and slightly worried.

'What was going on?' She asked herself.

"Victor Frankenstein and Elsa Van Helsing." The Dean announced as he beckoned the couple onto the stage.

Blushing furiously, Elsa followed Victor onto the stage and they stopped, standing before the Dean.

"I am very proud of the both of you." Dean Talbot began. "You are the highest ranking students and valedictorians this University has ever seen, starting out at the age of seventeen. And it is my pleasure to grant you the highest honor this school can bestow that of the Hound."

The Dean reached behind him, pulled out two scrolls, and gave one to Victor and Elsa. Within the scrolls were small golden badges in the shape of shields, each with the silhouette of the head of a noble dog in the center. With proud smiles, Elsa and Victor fastened their badges onto their graduation gowns with their diplomas in hand. The Hound Award was awarded to only the best of the best, the students who really caught the eye of the Dean.

Today was truly the greatest day in Elsa and Victor's lives.

As they turned to face the cheering crowd before them, Dean Talbot tapped Victor on the shoulder and gave him a small package. Victor grinned as Talbot gave him a sly wink; Elsa watched this exchange with confusion… she didn't even see the box in her boyfriend's hand. What was going on? Victor then turned to face Elsa, his dark eyes looking deep into hers. He got down on one knee and opened the small box, which revealed an absolutely beautiful ring. Elsa's eyes began to fill up with tears as the crowd gasped.

"Elsa Van Helsing?" Victor began.

The room quickly went silent.

"Y-y-yes, Victor?" Elsa replied hesitantly.

"…Do you love me?"

Elsa's lower lip trembled and tears streamed down her cheeks; she slowly nodded.

"…Yes."

"Then… will you marry me?"

Victor grinned a hopeful smile up at her, his warm gaze lighting up Elsa's heart and soul; more tears of joy fell from her eyes.

"Yes, yes, YES!" She cried as Victor took the ring out of the box and placed it onto her finger.

Victor stood up before Elsa wrapped her arms around him in the biggest hug she could muster; he returned the embrace. The crowd roared and Dean Talbot beamed before the young couple shared a passionate kiss.

'This really _is_ the best day ever.' Elsa thought.


	17. The Wedding

Victor and Elsa's engagement lasted well over four months and during that time, they planned the wedding themselves… with a little help from their families, of course. Mayor Bergermeister persisted on taking on the project himself, but Lydia and Jonathon politely told him to back off and leave the wedding planning to the bride and groom themselves.

The four months passed; it was the night before the wedding and Elsa, Lydia, and Susan were gathered together in Elsa's house for a small little gathering in celebration.

"Here's to you, dear." Susan raised a glass of cider. "Congratulations."

"Oh, my little girl's getting _married_!" Lydia sobbed. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Mom!" Elsa smiled in embarrassment.

"How are you feeling, Elsa?" Susan asked.

"A little nervous." The young bride-to-be replied. "But REALLY excited."

"This is all so wonderful, sweetheart." Lydia beamed. "You know, this is almost exactly like the bachelorette party my friends threw for me before I married your father."

"I remember my bachelorette party, too." Susan chimed in. "Thought it wasn't anything big or flashy; just me, my mother, my grandmother, Edward's mother, and my closest friends. Nonetheless, I couldn't be any happier for you, Elsa. My son is very lucky to have someone like you."

"Thanks, Mrs. Frankenstein."

"Please, you don't have to be so formal. I'll be your mother-in-law soon, just call me Susan."

"Sure, Susan." Elsa giggled.

"So, dear, do you have any last-minute requests before tomorrow?" Lydia asked.

Elsa thought for a moment or two before she answered, "No, I don't think so. I think you and dad already have everything covered."

"If you say so."

Lydia wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulder in a hug; the three women laughed.

At the Frankenstein house, Victor was holding a similar celebration with Edward, Jonathon, and even Mayor Bergermeister.

"I've got to give you credit, Victor." The Mayor admitted. "When I first heard about you and my niece, I didn't think it would last the week. And yet, here you are, about to marry her."

"Yes, you've been together since your freshman year of high school. What a way to commit." Edward said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Thanks, dad." Victor smiled at his father.

Bergermeister's eyes narrowed at the groom-to-be grimaced. "Don't push it."

"Sorry." Victor said as he grinned nervously.

"Oh lighten up, Bob!" Jonathon admonished him. "I, for one, am overjoyed about you joining our family, son."

"So am I, sir." Victor sighed. "Elsa is, well… she's the one for me. I can't imagine being with anybody else."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. My daughter is very, VERY lucky to have someone like you in her life. Hey, I think we'd better call it a night, fellows." Jonathon suggested. "We want to get up bright and early for tomorrow."

"You said it, dad-in-law." Victor nodded. "Goodnight, guys."

"Night." The others chorused, filing out of the house.

Victor cleared up everything, then got ready for bed. As per tradition, he wasn't permitted to see his bride until the wedding, lest the union be cursed with bad luck. It was nothing but a superstition, but he preferred not to risk it. He climbed into bed, visions of his love on his mind until he drifted off to sleep, and even after.

The next morning, Elsa was practically pushed out of bed by Lydia, who had her hair up in a towel and was dressed in a fuzzy bathrobe; she looked like she just got out of the shower.

"Mom…?" Elsa moaned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Wakey-wakey, my little bride-to-be!" Lydia cheered. "We need to get you ready!"

"I… I don't remember ordering a wake-up call." Elsa grumbled.

"There'll be time for sarcasm later, sweetie." Her mother said, unfazed. "Now, let's get you all dressed up for your big day!"

Elsa was almost pushed into the bathroom, where she woke up after a nice hot shower. After that, she went downstairs and had a quick, but filling breakfast. Then Elsa proceeded to get dressed, along with everyone else. By now, she felt wonderful, ecstatic. She felt like she had an endless amount of energy, as if she had slept for a hundred years.

As Elsa was humming the wedding march to herself, Lydia combed and styled her daughter's hair into a sleek bun. Then the dress came on; it was pure white with lavender accents and a lace top, the skirt had a bit of a train, and long, silvery, fingerless satin gloves were on her hands. The shoes came next, which were basically plain white slippers with a small heel and small lavender bows over the segment covering her toes. And finally, the veil; it was the finest sheer silk, topped with a ring of pearls and tied around her bun.

Elsa looked in the mirror and gasped as she stared at her reflection with wide eyes; was this real or was this all just a dream? She pinched herself, it was real.

"What do you think?" Lydia asked; she was already in her dress.

"I… I look… incredible!" Elsa exclaimed, tears of joy running down her face. "Thank you so much, mom."

"Don't go giving me _all_ the credit." Lydia replied humbly before giving her daughter a hug. "I just picked out the dress; you did the 'looking incredible' part yourself."

Elsa gave a little twirl before her uncle's voice sternly said, "Hold it!"

A camera flashed, temporarily blinding her. It was from her father's camera. Elsa ended up posing for multiple pictures by herself, then with her mother, then her uncle, and then her father.

Eventually, Elsa said, "How many more pictures do we have to take? I'd rather _not_ be late for my own wedding."

"A bride is expected to be late for her wedding." Jonathon chuckled.

Elsa rolled her eyes and frowned, but her frown was barely visible because she was so happy.

"Just twelve." Her father replied.

After those twelve photos, they all climbed into the limousine that was waiting outside, which as headed towards its destination, the church. Inside, the entire room was packed with guests; Victor and Elsa's families and many old friends from school (from middle school, high school, and even college). Reverend Campbell was standing center stage at the altar, having happily agreed to conduct the ceremony. The groom was nervously awaiting his bride's arrival, his father standing right next to him.

"You okay, son?" Edward asked.

Victor looked over at Edward and said, "Yeah, I'm fine; just a few butterflies in my stomach."

"Well don't worry. I was just as nervous as you on the day I married your mother." Edward explained. "But everything will be fine, trust me."

"Thanks, dad."

"No problem."

The music started to play and everyone turned around to face a beautiful sight at the very end of the entrance of the church, Elsa. Victor gaped at the vision of beauty that had just arrived.

"Whoa…" He sighed.

Jonathon stood by his daughter's side as she walked down the aisle, a bouquet of flowers held in her hand. Victor smiled happily at Elsa. He still couldn't believe that his secret crush ever since kindergarten would soon become his wife; as crazy as it sounds, it was almost feeling like yesterday when he first met her. Jonathon then stepped aside as she reached the altar. Elsa climbed the steps, standing practically nose to nose with Victor; they turned their heads to face Reverend Campbell, who was smiling very warmly for an older man.

"Friends, family…" He began. "We are all gathered here today to celebrate the union of Victor Charles Frankenstein and Elsa Anais Van Helsing. Before we begin; if there is anyone who rejects today or doesn't think these two should be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Victor took Elsa's hand, who gladly accepted it, and took a small step closer to him, smiling as much as he was. No one had spoken and the Reverend nodded.

"Elsa… I vow to always love, care, respect, and to always keep you in my life. You are the most beautiful, most brilliant, most amazing woman I've ever met; I will never let you go or abandon you. My love for you has done nothing but grow over the years we spent together, it will never ever be broken. I love you, Elsa and I always will."

Tears of joy formed in Elsa's eyes, very pleased with what she had just heard.

The guests smiled, but only the girls were crying with joy. After a few moments of silence, the priest turned to Elsa and said,

"Now you…"

Elsa gazed at her groom, still smiling through her tears.

"Victor… you are such a wonderful man. You've been there for me since the beginning and I promise everything that you've just said to me, I will do the same for you. I vow to care and love you, no matter what. If we ever end up in a fight, just remember that I will never wish to leave you, but to grow closer to you in any way there is; I love you, Victor, always and forever."

More tears and sniffs were heard from the female guests, watching the beautiful sight in front of them all.

"Now Victor…" The priest said. "Do you take Elsa to be your wife, to have and to hold, until death do you part?"

"I do." Victor replied.

The priest nodded and turned to Elsa. "And do you, Elsa, take Victor to be your husband, to have and to hold, until death do you part?"

"I do." Elsa replied.

They exchanged rings before Reverend Campbell announced,

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The young couple embraced in a long, sweet kiss. The crowd cheered loudly before the bride and groom walked up the aisle, out the church, past the guests showering them with flower petals, and into the limo that would take them straight to the reception.

At the reception, Victor and Elsa not only had cake and danced the night away, they reconnected with old friends from their childhood. Bob had opened his own restaurant with Jenny, Toshiaki and Nassor are training to become science teachers with Hillary and Mae-Lee, Mindy had become a psychoanalyst and was in the process of writing a book on dream interpretation, and Edgar had gotten a job as a grave digger in the local cemetery.

After a few minutes of dancing, Victor and Elsa sat down. It was then that they were approached by a familiar face.

"Mr. Rzykruski?!" They exclaimed.

"Hello, you lovebirds." Mr. Rzykruski said with a smile.

"You were invited?" Elsa asked.

"Of course I was, Elsa. Your mother made up the guest list. And besides, I wouldn't miss this for the world." He said as he gave his former students a hug.

"So, what have you been doing with yourself, sir?" Victor asked.

"Well, I've been working as a science exhibit curator at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh for the past several years." He replied.

"In Pennsylvania?" Elsa asked; he nodded. "Wow, that's amazing."

"Thank you. I just wanted to stop by and give my congratulations… And between you and me, I always knew you two would end up together." Mr. Rzykruski said in a conspiring whisper, which made Victor and Elsa blush and smile at each other.

"Thanks." They laughed.

"You're welcome. And good luck to you both." Mr. Rzykruski said warmly.

All too soon, the celebrations wound down. Victor and Elsa headed for the limo that would take them to the airport, and from there, their honeymoon destination in Boston Massachusetts. Closing her eyes and smiling widely, Elsa hurled her bouquet into the air over her shoulder. All of the single ladies wrestled to catch it, only for the flowers to fly right over their heads and land in the hands of Mindy. She looked at Edgar, who was looking at her with a hopeful, dopey grin on his face.

"Wow, Mindy." He said nervously. "Looks like you're going to be the next bride, and that reminds me. There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

Mindy blushed and smiled to herself with wide eyes.

"Enjoy your honeymoon, Elsa." Jonathon told his little daughter. "And Victor? Take care of her."

"You can count on me, sir." Victor nodded.

"Congratulations, sweetheart." Lydia beamed. "I always hoped you would one day feel the joy I feel."

"And now, I will." Elsa grinned. "Every day, for the rest of my life."

"Congratulations, you two." Edward said.

"I've never been so happy." Susan cried.

Victor and Elsa hugged their parents and smiled. And on that heartfelt note, they climbed into the waiting limo. They waved to their friends and families, who enthusiastically waved back. The crowd cheered and waved after it, until it vanished down the road. Inside, Victor and Elsa were snuggled up together, exhausted from their big day.

"Whew, what a day." Victor sighed.

"Victor? Thank you so much for giving me the greatest day of my life." Elsa beamed as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek before saying, "And now comes the honeymoon. Just you and me, husband and wife, in nice, quiet Massachusetts."

"Can't wait." Elsa nuzzled him. "Love you."

"Love you too."

They cuddled each other happily. Their big day had gone by without a hitch, and tomorrow would be their first full day as Victor and Elsa Frankenstein. Now they had the rest of their lives to look forward to, together.


	18. Pregnant Part 1 (The News)

After a nice quiet stay in Boston, where they took romantic strolls through at the local parks during the day, and cuddled in their room at night, Victor and Elsa returned home as husband and wife. When they returned, they earned enough money at their jobs and bought a beautiful two-story house, perfect to start a family.

The young couple began their new life together; Victor working at a local science lab and selling a few of his inventions and Elsa working as an archivist for the New Holland Historical Society. A few months had passed since they moved into their new home and lately, Elsa had started to feel very strange. She felt it difficult to stay awake at times especially during the day, she's been feeling unnaturally dizzy, and she could hardly keep her food down, nearly throwing up after every meal almost every single day.

One morning, Elsa and Victor were still in bed when she woke up with a familiar sickening feeling in her stomach; she felt like she was going to throw up. She sat up, only for Victor to begrudgingly wake up.

"Els? Is everything okay?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Uh… it's nothing." She lied as she proceeded to get out of bed.

"Elsa, this is been going on for the past few weeks; it clearly isn't 'nothing'. Come on, what's wrong?" Victor said, turning to see Elsa head towards the bathroom with a hand to her stomach.

"Sorry… I'm just… really not feeling well. I'll be right back, just gimme a minute." She replied before closing the bathroom door. In bed, Victor could faintly hear a gagging and haggard coughing soon afterwards; his wife was vomiting again.

'Not again…' He thought.

At this point, Elsa felt so miserable and fed up that she finally decided that she had enough. She wanted to know what was going on with her, so she booked an appointment with the local physician, Dr. Karen Rodney, to get to the root of the problem.

Later that day, Victor was in the living room reading a book when his wife came home. When he looked up from his book, he saw that Elsa's eyes were pretty wide, as if she was given news. Either exciting or terrible, he didn't know.

"Els? What'd the doctor say?" He asked, putting the book down.

"No… nothing's wrong. I just… I have something important to tell you." Elsa replied nervously.

Victor gestured for Elsa to sit down next to him and tell him everything Dr. Rodney had told her earlier that day; she sat down next to her husband and put a hand on her abdomen.

"Is everything okay, hon?" Victor asked; she didn't respond, causing him to reach out and take her hand. "Elsa, what's wrong?"

"I have news." She said bluntly.

"What kind of news?"

"Victor… how many kids would you like to have?"

This sudden question surprised Victor; he hadn't really thought about that until now.

"I don't know, one… maybe, two or three. Why do you ask?" He replied.

"Good." Elsa grinned at that answer; she leaned closer to her husband's ear. "Because I'm _pregnant_."

Victor's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked at his wife.

"Is… this true?" He asked; she nodded.

"Yes, I'm having a baby." She said, her excited grin still plastered on her face.

Victor blinked a few times before he wrapped his arms around her in a smothering hug and started to burst into laughter. Elsa laughed along with him as she hugged him back.

"Oh my gosh, we're gonna be parents! This is fantastic!" He cheered.

"You really think so?" Elsa asked.

"Absolutely! Wow."

Victor gave her a small peck on the cheek, earning him a dazzling smile.

"Victor? …Between you and me, I just hope I'm ready to be a mother." Elsa said.

"Are you kidding me? You'll be a _great_ mother." Victor assured. "You're caring, kind, considerate, and fair… all the makings of a great mom."

"Being parents is a pretty big responsibility." Elsa noted. "You really think we'll be up for it?"

"Absolutely. You and I are hardworking, smart, _and_ dependable." He reminded her. "I'm sure the two of us will be just fine."

"Hmmmm… yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Vic."

"Of course, Els. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Victor pulled Elsa closer to him as they sat together on the sofa; Victor wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder.

"So… how long?" He asked.

"According to Dr. Rodney, five weeks I think." Elsa replied.

"So the baby should be here by… the end of year?"

"Probably."

"…We need to tell our parents."

"You're right. But… _how_ should we tell them?"

"Leave it to me, hon."

He smiled at her and kissed her cheek; she smiled back.

0-0-0-0-0-0

A week went by since Elsa had told Victor the news. They decided to tell their parents in person, so they called them and asked them to come over. When they arrived, Edward, Susan, Jonathon, and Lydia were all rather confused.

"Thanks for coming over on such short notice, you guys." Victor said politely.

"No problem, son. Now what's going on?" Edward asked.

"Yes, dear. Is something wrong?" Susan added.

"Or is there any special reason you called us?" Jonathon asked.

"Yes. And nothing is wrong. Victor and I have some pretty big news to share." Elsa replied.

" _Big_ news? Oooh, do tell." Lydia inquired with a smile.

Elsa looked at Victor with a smile; they nodded their heads at each other before looking back at their parents and saying,

"We're having a baby."

The room quickly went quiet; Edward, Susan, Jonathon, and Lydia stared at the couple with wide eyes. Finally, after a few moments of silence, Susan let out a deep gasp and stood up.

"A baby?! Oh, how wonderful!" She gushed, giving her daughter-in-law a big hug.

"This is amazing! Congratulations!" Edward cheered.

"Wow, you're gonna be parents! This is great!" Jonathon exclaimed.

"Oh my goodness!" Lydia beamed as she went to give her son-in-law a hug.

"I can't wait to see your foal." Susan cooed.

"Me, neither." Jonathon grinned at Elsa. "Way to go, my little voodoo doll. Or should we call you 'mom-to-be' from now on?"

"Very funny, dad." Elsa shook her head. "…I just wish I felt more ready for this. Can we really be good parents?"

"Are you kidding?" Edward asked. "You two will be fantastic parents! Any kid would be lucky to have you!"

"Edward's right." Lydia agreed. "You're both intelligent, and considerate, and you know how to watch out for others. You'll be a wonderful mother, Elsa; I just know it."

"That's what I said." Victor recalled.

"Great minds think alike." Lydia smirked.

"Besides, you'll have all of us to help." Susan added.

"Really?" Elsa smiled.

"No doubt." Jonathon nodded.

"Just try and keep me away from that sure-to-be adorable bundle of cuteness!" Lydia squealed.

"Thanks, you guys." Elsa chuckled, feeling better already.

"Yeah, thanks." Victor added with a confident smile.

The six of them shared a hug.


	19. Pregnant Part 2 (Precious Moments)

And so it began. The first couple of months were pretty uneventful, except for the morning sickness. But that eventually faded, much to Elsa's relief. She also started to wear rather baggy clothes, just so it wouldn't feel so tight around her stomach.

By the third month, Elsa's first ultrasound appointment came around. That night, Victor and Elsa were sitting in bed, gazing at the image of their baby given to them by Dr. Rodney.

"Wow, would you look at that…" Victor lamented.

"I still hardly believe it." Elsa replied.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He cooed.

"Gorgeous." She snuggled against her husband. "Not to brag or anything, but were you expecting anything _less_?"

"No way." Victor wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

Then, Elsa thought of something.

"Victor? Which are you hoping for?" She asked as she set the pictures on the nightstand.

"Hoping for? What do you mean?" Victor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, what are you really expecting the baby to be? A girl or a boy?"

"Oh, well… I have no idea, honestly. Besides, Dr. Rodney said it's too early to tell. But I don't think the gender really matters to me; I just want the baby to be healthy."

Elsa put a hand on her abdomen and smiled.

"Yeah, me too." She replied, looking at Victor lovingly.

Victor pulled his wife closer to him and kissed the side of her head before saying, "But I suppose we'll just have to be surprised, huh?"

He put a hand on Elsa's before she kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, I guess so. Goodnight. Love you, Vic." She said, snuggling back into bad.

"Love you too, Els." He replied before shutting off the lights.

0-0-0-0-0-0

As more time passed, Elsa's stomach grew larger, due to the little one growing inside her. Victor responded by doing practically everything for her, and insisting she stay off her feet. The attention was flattering at first, but it soon grew rather tiresome. Eventually, she had enough.

"Here, let me get a cushion, along with your tea." Victor offered one day.

"Honey, enough!" Elsa groaned. "I may be pregnant, but I'm not helpless!"

To emphasize her point, Elsa got up, walked to the kitchen, grabbed her tea and the cushion, and sat back down, leaving her would-be caretaker with a very sheepish look on his face.

"Sorry, hon." Victor rubbed the back of his neck. "I was only trying to help…"

"I know, and it was sweet of you to try." Elsa smiled. "But I don't need you to do everything for me. A little extra girth won't slow me down."

"That's my Elsa." Victor beamed. "She never gives up."

Elsa chuckled as her husband went over and gave her a hug, followed by a playful peck on the nose.

By the fifth month, Mindy, Jenny, Hillary, Mae-Lee, Susan, and Lydia had put together a surprise baby shower for Elsa. She sat in a comfortable armchair as she unwrapped the presents given to her.

"Open mine first, Elsa!" Jenny exclaimed, placing a gift wrapped in yellow in her friend's lap.

"Okay, okay." She giggled.

Elsa unwrapped the gift and opened the box to reveal an adorable stuffed teddy dear with button eyes and a small checkered green and purple quilt. She took it out of the box and smiled at Jenny.

"I saw it in the shop a few days ago and I just figured you'd use it." Jenny beamed. "And I made the quilt myself."

"They're perfect; I'm sure the baby will love both. Thanks, Jen." Elsa smiled at her friend.

"Now for _my_ gift." Mae-Lee said, offering Elsa a box wrapped in red.

Inside, there were eight sets of baby-sized footie-pajamas in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple, and even pink.

"I didn't know whether your child was going to be a boy or a girl, so I made them in every color of the rainbow. I hope you don't mind." Mae-Lee casually said.

"Don't mind? They're beautiful, Mae. Thank you so much." Elsa beamed.

She opened Hillary's gift next: a lovely silver metal rattle, which she explained was hers as a baby.

"Wow Hill, this was really yours?" Elsa asked.

"Indeed it was. Now I want _you_ to have it, my friend." Hillary replied.

Mindy's gift was an illustrated book of fairy tales and other fables and a record of all kinds of lullabies.

"Now it's our turn." Susan said as she and Lydia pulled a box with purple and green wrapping.

Elsa took the box and what she saw made her gasp; it was a beautiful mobile with bats, little lightning bolts, and even dogs that resembled Sparky, Persephone and their pups. Her eyes filled up with tears as she looked at Lydia and Susan.

"I love it!" She exclaimed, hugging her mother and her mother-in-law tightly. "Thank you so, so, SO much!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Lydia beamed.

"We put it together ourselves, with a little help from the boys." Susan said with a giggle.

"Thank you so much, girls! These gifts are wonderful." Elsa cried.

"Oh, we're not done yet." Mae-Lee declared. "We _all_ pitched in on this one."

Jenny went upstairs, followed by Mae-Lee. They returned with a wooden crib painted blue and decorated with black roses on the side. The cushion was feathered and the laced pillow was made of silk. Elsa was about to cry.

"Oh my gosh, you girls are the best!" She declared. "And I know the baby is going to have the best aunts and grandmothers in the world."

They all moved in for a group hug.

Later that night, Elsa lamented all about the baby shower.

"Wow." Victor said, looking at the crib in the corner. "They really made that?"

"Yeah, isn't it beautiful?" Elsa asked.

"Absolutely. The baby is gonna _love_ it, along with the mobile."

Elsa let out a contented sigh before she laid back into bed with Victor right beside her.

"Sweet dreams." She whispered.

"You too." He hummed, giving her a kiss and turning off the light.

0-0-0-0-0-0

 _ **The New Holland Windmill was on fire and Elsa was hanging on to it, just like on Dutch Day all those years ago. Victor had finally reached the top.**_

" _ **Victor, help me!" She cried.**_

" _ **Hang on, don't let go!" Victor yelled as he tried to grab her hand.**_

" _ **I can't reach!"**_

 _ **Mr. Whiskers the vampire bat cat suddenly attacked Victor, knocking him over. He pushed the monster off of him and it flew in a different direction before he tried to think of something to save his wife.**_

" _ **Hold on!"**_

" _ **I'm losing my grip; I can't hold on for much longer!"**_

 _ **Victor grabbed a rope and threw it down just as Elsa's grip had finally failed. She fell, but grabbed the rope just in time… only to be flung right at Mr. Whiskers, who hissed hungrily at her. She screamed.**_

" _ **ELSA! NO!"**_

0-0-0-0-0-0

"ELSA! NO!" Victor screamed.

He jumped up in bed in a cold sweat. He was breathing heavy, terrified for his life… or their lives. Victor looked to his right; Elsa was alive and well. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at her startled husband.

"Victor? Are… are you okay? What's going on?" She asked, looking for a clock; it was 3:47 in the morning. She yawned and turned on her lamp.

"Sorry, Els… I-I didn't mean to wake you but…" Before Elsa could respond, Victor tackled her.

He kissed her all over her face and stomach, hugging her tightly. As his face rubbed against her clothes, Elsa felt her night shirt becoming wet. She looked down curiously and she was slightly shocked by what she saw. Victor was crying!

"Victor?"

He looked up, sniffling. His eyes were, indeed, red and tears were streaming down his pale cheeks. Elsa wiped his face; she had never seen her husband so shaken up.

"What happened? Are you okay?" She asked.

Victor was glad he had Elsa because he knew she would never judge him. She knew if someone like him was crying, something was definitely wrong.

"N-nightmare… you-you and the baby…" He whimpered.

Elsa rubbed his back, trying to relax him. "What about me and the baby?"

He gripped into her impregnated belly.

"You… you fell off the burning windmill… and Mindy's old cat killed you!"

"Shh, shh… it's okay. It's okay." She rubbed his cheek, kissing his forehead. She tried to be as comforting as possible.

"B-but I thought I lost you! And our baby!" He continued.

Elsa felt tears stinging at her eyes; she had never seen her husband so scared and so sad before. She laid several kissed on top of his head, nuzzling his mane.

"No. You didn't lose us. I'm alive and so is the baby. Here, listen to it." She gestured to her belly which Victor was using, gently, as a pillow.

His eyes widened as he quieted down.

"I… I hear something." He whispered.

Elsa giggled as her husband's hands moved all over her belly, starting to tickle. His saddened expression was quickly replaced as he acted like a kid on Christmas Day.

"See. We're all fine."

Victor rose back up to his original position. Elsa kissed him on the nose before settling down with the pillow. Victor dragged the blankets up to them; he leaned over to her ear and whispered,

"Well… just to be safe."

He placed a protective hand on her belly, making sure nothing would hurt her again; in dreams or reality. They snuggled back into bed and shared another kiss before Elsa turned the light off.


	20. Pregnant Part 3 (The Arrival)

As the ninth and final month rolled around, Elsa was bigger than ever, but she insisted on staying active. It was the Winter Solstice and she and Victor had just finished their walk through the neighborhood that very morning. They stood at the door as they were just about to take off their winter coats.

"Do my ankles look fat to you?" Elsa asked.

"No way." Victor replied, shaking his head.

She gave him a look that screamed, 'Tell me the truth.'

"What? I am." He admitted. "You wanted me to tell you the truth."

"Hey, I'm only kidding." She giggled. "I was just—"

Suddenly, Elsa felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She let out a cry and clutched her stomach with both hands. Victor put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with a concerned look.

"Honey, what is it? What's wrong?" He worriedly asked.

"It… it's the baby. I think it's coming!" Elsa wheezed.

"The baby?! Right NOW?! It's a little early, isn't it?" Victor cried.

"Tell that to the baby, why don't you?" Elsa retorted, before leaning against the wall in pain. "Aagh!"

"Okay, okay, don't panic!" He said, panicked. "We've got this. We know what to do, right?"

"Right." Elsa replied as she picked up the phone to call her parents.

After the call was made, Victor carefully took Elsa to the car, started it, and took off in the direction of the hospital. When they got there, they barreled through the doors and to the front desk.

"Get Dr. Rodney, now!" Victor yelled. "My wife is about to have our baby!"

"I'll let her know right away." The elderly nurse nodded, before dashing off down the corridor.

Victor eased Elsa onto a chair.

"Easy, now." He rubbed her shoulder. "Everything's gonna be fine."

"Don't patronize me." Elsa said through gritted teeth; her breathing staggered. "I know perfectly well what may or may not happen, so don't think a half-hearted reassurance is gonna help."

Victor gulped and said nothing.

Before long, Dr. Rodney, followed by the same nurse with a wheelchair, arrived.

"This way, please." She noted.

Victor helped his wife into the chair, and they took her to the birthing room. As Elsa lay on the bed, in total agony, Victor held her hand.

"It hurts…" Elsa cringed. "It hurts… so much…"

"Easy, now." Victor said. "Just remember your breathing."

"Right." She whispered, looking at her husband worriedly. At the same time, she held onto his hand. "Victor, I'm so scared. I'm not sure I could—"

"Don't worry." He stroked her hair. "You'll get through this. I know it."

"Okay, Mrs. Frankenstein." Dr. Rodney interjected. "Just relax and everything will be alright."

After an hour or so of intense agony, Elsa's pain finally ceased, as the cries of a newborn baby filled the room.

"Congratulations." Dr. Rodney smiled. "It's a boy."

Victor and Elsa sighed in relief. The baby was wrapped in a swaddling pale blue cloth and placed in Elsa's arms. He looked like a perfect mix of both of his parents; black hair, fair skin, and big dark eyes.

"He's so beautiful." Elsa sighed.

"He sure is." Victor smiled. "Way to go, Els. You did great."

The baby boy shifted slightly in his mother's arms and cooed softly. Not long after, Edward, Susan, Jonathon, Lydia, and even Mayor Bergermeister came in.

"Congratulations, you two." Susan smiled.

"What a strapping little fellow." The Mayor commented.

"Wow, he looks just like his father." Edward beamed.

"He is so cute!" Lydia squealed. "I could just eat him up!"

"Great job, Elsa." Jonathon grinned. "You too, Victor."

"Thanks, dad." Elsa chuckled.

"So, what are you going to call him?" Edward asked.

"We've talked about it for a while now." Victor admitted. "Threw a few names out… but there's one name we both agreed on giving our baby if it was a boy."

"And what is it?" Lydia asked.

"Peter." Elsa smiled at the boy. "Peter Timothy Frankenstein."

"The perfect name." Mr. Bergermeister nodded. "Welcome to New Holland, Peter Frankenstein."


	21. Two Years Later

By the time Peter was two years old, he was already full of boundless energy and infinite curiosity; he would race around the house, examining whatever caught his fancy.

One morning, Peter was attempting to discover what was under the sofa when Victor pulled him out.

"Not so fast, little explorer." He chuckled.

"Awwww, no fair!" The little boy groaned.

Victor took Peter over to his mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"There's my little prince." Elsa smiled, kissing her son's nose. "Peter, daddy and I will be gone for a little while. But don't worry; your grandma and grandpa will be taking care of you until we come back."

"Yay!" Peter cheered.

Then as if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Victor answered it and there were Edward and Susan standing in the doorway.

"There's my little grandson!" Susan exclaimed, taking Peter out of Victor's arms and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, grandma! Hi, grandpa!" Peter cheered before Susan put him down.

"Thanks for coming over you guys." Victor said as Elsa got up from the table and met him at the door.

"Are you two absolutely sure you can do this?" Elsa asked.

"Of course." Edward said confidently. "Wouldn't have agreed to it if we couldn't. Piece of cake."

"Yes, dear." Susan added as she and Edward entered the house. "Go on, have fun. Everything will be fine."

"Okay, if you say so." Victor said as he grabbed his overcoat and put it on. "But remember, don't let him near any electrical sockets, don't let him open any cabinets he's not supposed to go near, and don't forget that if he gets fussy, just give him his special blanky and he'll calm right down."

"No problem. And have no fear; grandma and grandpa have everything under control." Edward replied with a nod.

"That's that settled then." Victor smiled. "We're off."

"One word of advice." Elsa added as she wrapped her scarf around her neck. "Don't take your eyes off of peter. Not for a moment."

"Can do." Edward saluted.

"Of course." Susan added.

Victor and Elsa each gave Peter a kiss before waving goodbye and heading out the door. As the door closed, Edward was feeling confident in his babysitting abilities.

"Like I said, this is going to be a piece of cake." He smirked. "Right, honey?"

"Yep. What do you think, Peter?" Susan asked.

Turning around, Susan realized Peter was gone.

"Oh dear. Where'd you go?" She looked around frantically.

"Over here!" Peter called, having climbed up onto the sofa. "Watch me jump!"

"No!" Edward yelped.

Peter began to jump and jump on the sofa's cushion until he slipped. Edward made to catch him, throwing his hands up, but Peter ending up landing on his stomach.

"Whee!" Peter giggled. "Fun!"

"Yeah, real fun…" Edward groaned.

Peter turned his attention to the kitchen, got up, and cried, "Hungry!"

"Hey, wait!" Edward called.

"Sweetie, hold on!" Susan added.

Peter climbed off of his grandfather and rushed into the kitchen. Suddenly, his eye was caught by a box up on top of the fridge; it was slightly ajar.

"Ooh, cookies…" He drooled. "Grandma get them?"

"Sorry honey, but you know the rules." Susan said. "No sweets before lunchtime."

Peter pouted before he got an idea.

"I get them." He announced as he made his way to the counter.

"Oh no you don't!" Edward said as he went to pick up the little boy.

Peter struggled to get free from his grandfather's grasp and eventually, he made his way onto the counter and walked over to where the fridge was standing… much to the fright of Susan. She tried to grab him again, but it was too late. Peter reached up to grab the box of cookies, only for the box to slip out of his tiny hands and cookies to fly all over the room and turning into nothing but crumbs when they made contact with the kitchen floor.

"Victor and Elsa are gonna kill us for this." Susan groaned.

"I sorry, grandpa and grandma." Peter said remorsefully.

"You _should_ be." Edward said harshly. As the little boy shrank before his grandfather's anger, Edward softened. "But _I_ oughta be, too. I thought this would be a breeze. Boy, was I wrong. I guess we're just a little out of practice; it's been over _twenty_ years since we last did this sort of thing, after all. We couldn't keep up with you, and we couldn't even stop… all of this."

"We're so sorry, dear." Susan lamented. "We must be the worst babysitters ever."

"No." Peter shook his head. "Grandpa and grandma good babysitters."

"Thanks, sweetie." Susan smiled. "Hey, there's still some time before Elsa and Victor come back. We might be able to clean up this mess."

"I help?" Peter asked.

"Well…" Susan said, sounding unsure. In response, Peter gave her the puppy-dog eyes treatment. "Okay. You can help a little."

"Yay!" Peter cheered.

"Let's get to work." Edward smiled.

Together, they returned to the kitchen and started cleaning up. Edward and Susan did most of the work, but Peter was able to help by holding the dust pan. Eventually, the kitchen was returned to its original state.

"Great work, kiddo." Edward smiled.

Peter beamed.

"Now, let's get back to the front room before your mommy and daddy get back." Susan declared.

The trio dashed out of the kitchen and leapt onto the couch. A few moments later, the front door opened, and Victor and Elsa walked in.

"Mama!" Peter squealed, jumping off the couch and racing to meet them. "Dada!"

"Hey, kiddo!" Victor smiled, picking up his son. "We missed you too."

"Did you have fun with grandma and grandpa?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah!" Peter cheered. "Good babysitters!"

A yawn suddenly escaped his mouth.

"Tired…" He mumbled.

"Time for your nap, sweetheart." Elsa whispered.

Peter was taken upstairs and placed in his bed.

"Sleep tight, champ." Victor whispered.

As they left the room, Elsa turned to Susan and Edward as they were about to grab their coats from the coat rack by the door.

"I hope Peter wasn't too much trouble for you." She smiled.

"Oh, no." Edward fibbed. "He was a perfect little angel."

"Well in that case, maybe we should have you sit for us more often." Victor grinned. "What do you say?"

"Yeah, sure…" Susan gulped. "Now, if nobody minds, I think I'm going to go right home and take a hot bath."

"Me too." Edward added.

Edward and Susan dashed out the door. Victor and Elsa looked at each in bemusement, then shrugged as they closed the door. Back in his little bed, Peter enjoyed a calm, peaceful sleep, the fun he had with his grandma and grandpa still fresh in his mind.


	22. A Surprise For Peter

During the summer months, a three-year-old Peter had noticed that there was something off about his parents recently. They were holding hushed discussions behind closed doors. One morning, he was sitting on the floor playing with a racecar when he noticed Elsa about to leave the house.

"Where are you going, mommy?" Peter asked.

"Oh, just to the clinic." Elsa said shiftily, grabbing the car keys. "I have to get my regular check-up from Dr. Rodney. See you soon. Love you!"

And with that Elsa dashed out, shutting the door behind her.

"Okay…" Peter shrugged as he heard the car start and drive off.

"Well, look at this." Victor smiled, kneeling beside his son. "It's just you and me here today. Wanna go outside and play catch, kiddo?"

"Would I!" Peter chuckled, standing up.

After a bracing session of fun in the front yard, Peter and Victor went back indoors. An hour later, Elsa returned home.

"Victor?" She pointed toward the kitchen. "A word?"

"Sure, honey." Victor nodded.

The two went into the kitchen. There were hushed whispers, then a gasp of surprise from Victor followed by a whoop of glee. He and Elsa came back into the main room, wearing large smiles. He could also see his mother crying and he gasped in fright.

"Mommy? Daddy? What's wrong?" Peter asked nervously.

"Peter… nothing is wrong. We're just very happy." Victor told his son.

"About what?" The boy asked, stumped.

"Honey, we have _great_ news." Elsa added.

"What is it?" Peter asked again.

Elsa then picked up her son and gently placed him onto the sofa; she and Victor sat down on either side of him with the grins still adorning their faces.

"What's going on?" Peter asked worriedly.

"Peter… we're having a baby." Elsa announced.

"W-what?" Peter stuttered, his eyes wide with shock.

"That's right, kiddo. You're going to be a big brother." Victor beamed, nodding his head.

Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing; he had always wanted to have a little brother or sister, but he didn't expect to have one so soon. Suddenly, his look of shock and disbelief faded into a look of pure excitement and wonder. He stood up and jumped for joy on the sofa as he laughed.

"You're pretty thrilled about this, huh?" Elsa giggled.

Peter didn't answer; he just continued to laugh, jump for joy, and even run around the room a little bit.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Victor chuckled, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulder.

Peter looked and quickly jumped back onto the couch, joining in on the embrace. He looked up at Elsa, who was smiling down at him.

"When will the baby be here? Today? My next birthday? _Christmas_?!" He asked excitedly.

"Sorry kiddo, but no." Victor replied. "The baby will probably be here sometime next spring."

"Awww." Peter sighed, sounding disappointed. "… but where _is_ the baby?"

"It's on its way, honey." Elsa said, pulling her son close. "You'll need to be patient, but don't worry. After waiting, it'll be worth it in the end. You'll see."

Peter grinned and wrapped his arms around his mother's waist in a hug; Elsa smiled and ruffled his hair before giving him a kiss on the forehead. She looked at Victor who smiled back at her. In a matter of months, they were going to be a family of four.


	23. Happy Ending

Over time, Victor and Elsa seemed to be busier than ever, preparing the house for the soon-to-be newcomer to their home. During this time, Peter would learn everything he needed to know about being a good brother and he often asked Elsa when the baby would be coming; her usual response was 'Soon, sweetie. Soon.'

It was Christmas Day and Elsa was due in a matter of months; Peter, now four years old, was more excited than ever before. That night after dinner, she just finished reading her son a bedtime story when he asked her,

"Mommy? Are you okay? How's the baby? Is it not very cramped in your tummy?"

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm sure the baby is fine." Elsa replied as she put tenderly a hand on Peter's head and gently pulled him into his embrace, pressing her son to her belly.

Peter smiled and rubbed his mother's round, taut stomach with his tiny hand until he felt something move; he gasped in surprise.

"Oh! What was that?" He asked.

"It's okay, honey. It was only your little brother or sister, that's all." Elsa replied with a giggle. "I guess it wants to meet its big brother as fast as possible."

" _I_ want to meet it too. I wish we could meet it today."

"Everything takes time, sweetie…''

"Hey, you two." Victor said as he entered the room and sat down on the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Just talking about the baby." Elsa replied.

"The baby is moving, daddy! Here, feel!" Peter said as he grabbed his father's hand and placed it on Elsa's belly.

Victor smiled as his unborn child moved and shifted; he looked over at his son who was curiously resting his ear on his mother's tummy.

"Son? We know you're excited about the new baby, but you need to remember something. Your mother and I are going to spend a lot of time with the baby."

"Yeah, I know."

"But… you must also know that just because there's going to be a new baby here doesn't mean that you're any less important to us. We'll always love you no matter what."

"You will?"

"Always and forever."

The small family hugged each other tightly before Peter let out a yawn.

"Awww, looks like someone needs a trip to Dreamland." Elsa joked as she tucked her son into bed and gave him a kiss on the head. "Goodnight, honey."

"Goodnight, mommy. Goodnight, daddy." Peter said before he fell fast asleep.

Victor and Elsa smiled, shut off the lights, and exited the room, quietly closing the door behind them. The couple then went to their own room to get ready for bed.

"Hey, Els? Look what I found." Victor said as he held up a few pieces of paper stapled together.

"What's this?" Elsa asked, taking the packet in her hands.

"A list of names for the new baby; both boy _and_ girl. And judging by the messy handwriting in crayon, I'm guessing Peter put this together himself."

Elsa laughed as she read the list to herself; she laid down in bed as her husband sat beside her.

"Where did Peter find all of these?"

"I found a book full of names when I discovered this packet. He must've been reading through it while he was making this."

"This is so cute! …And these names he found are all… really good. Do you think Peter would like it if we picked one of these names for the baby?"

"I'm sure he'd _love_ that. Let's see what we have here."

After reading through the entire list, Victor and Elsa finally decided on perfect names for the baby; one if it was a boy and one if it was a girl.

"I think it's perfect." Victor lamented as he and his wife snuggled under the covers.

"Me too. What do _you_ think, baby?" Elsa asked as she looked down at her round belly. "Do you like those names?"

A firm kick was the response; Elsa giggled as Victor put a hand on her stomach.

"Nice to see you agree."

"Goodnight, Els." Victor said as he kissed his wife goodnight.

"Goodnight, Vic." Elsa said, kissing her husband back.

She shut off the lights and they slowly drifted to sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0

As the weeks passed, it began to grow warmer; spring was finally in the air and Peter couldn't wait to meet his new little sibling. One day, Peter came home from school only to see Edward and Susan waiting for him; the house was devoid of his parents.

"Grandma? Grandpa? What's going on? Where are mommy and daddy?" He asked, worriedly looking around the room.

"At the hospital." Edward told him. "Your mommy is having the baby as we speak."

"Really?!" Peter gasped.

"Yes, honey." Susan nodded. "The little one started wanting out not long after lunch. Our job was to wait until you got home, then bring you to the hospital."

"So let's go!" Edward declared,

"Okay." Peter nodded as Edward picked him up and led him back outside; Susan followed close behind.

By the time the three of them arrived at the hospital, Victor and Elsa were still in their room. Peter anxiously waited for the results right outside the door, pacing the floor as he did so.

'I hope everything's alright in there; I hope mommy's okay.' He thought.

Susan put a hand on her grandson's shoulder.

"Peter, honey; don't worry." She said. "Your mommy is going to be okay. If I know her, she's strong and she'll be just fine."

"You think so, grandma?" Peter looked up at his grandmother.

"I know so." They shared a hug.

That was when the door to the room opened and Victor's head poked out; he looked tired.

"Peter? You can come in now." He whispered with a smile.

Peter took his father's hand and followed him into the room where his mother rested; Edward and Susan nodded at him before the door closed. Peter looked and he saw an exhausted, disheveled Elsa… and she held a tiny baby in her arms; it was a girl. She had big dark eyes, fair skin, and black hair, just like him. Peter's eyes were wide with wonder as Victor gently picked him up to give him a better look. He stared at the bundle in Elsa's arms; she was so small, so quiet, so innocent and sweet.

"Peter, say hello to your new little sister." Elsa whispered.

'Little sister?' The small boy thought.

"Hi. I'm Peter, your big brother." Peter murmured to the baby, clinging onto the hospital bed frame.

"What do you think, kiddo?" Victor asked.

"…She's _perfect_." Peter turned to face his mother. "What's her name, mommy?"

"Her name is Moira; Moira Juliet Frankenstein." Elsa replied softly, giving her son a tired smile.

Peter looked up at his parents, then at his baby sister; he realized that they decided to use the names he picked out. He smiled as little Moira reached out and grasped his finger with her little hand. Peter giggled and smiled; he now had a new little playmate, and he made a promise to always be there for Moira, protect her, and love her no matter what.

Victor and Elsa smiled as they looked at their children; they knew things at home would never be the same, but that was okay. As long as they were all together, they could do anything.


End file.
